Roger of Wendover's Flowers of history

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ROGER OF WENDOVER'S

FLOWERS OF HISTORY.

COMPRfSING

THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND

FROM THE DESCENT OF THE SAXONS TO A. D. 12 35

FORMERLY ASCRIBED TO

MATTHEW PARIS.

EX iibrk JhEV.BAfiDOU

TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN,

By J. A. GILES, D.C.L.

LATE FELLOW OF CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE, OXFORD.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.

LONDON:
HENRY G. BOHN, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

M.DCCC.XLIX.

JUN - 3 1938

/0749

LONDON
J HADDOJT, PRINTER, CASTLE STREET, FINSBURY

ROGER OF WENDOTER'S
FLOWERS OF HISTORY.

How the nobles of Brittany swore fealty- to king Henry and his son

Geoffrey.

a.d. 1170. Henry king of England held his court on
Christmas day at Nantes, with the bishops and barons of
Lesser Britain, who all swore fealty to him and to his son
Geoffrey. In Lent following he crossed over into England,
and was almost drowned with all his people.

Of the absolution of the bishop of London,

This year, also, Gilbert bishop of London arriving at
Milan on his way to Rome, received there a letter from our
lord the pope, to the following purport : " We have com-
manded the archbishop of Rouen and the bishop of Exeter
in our stead to receive from you an oath that you will abide by
our sentence, touching the causes for which the sentence
was passed against you, and then to absolve you; so that
your excommunication may entail no loss of rank or dignity,
or mark of infamy upon you hereafter." The bishop,
therefore, succeeded in the object of his wishes, and was
publicly absolved at Rouen on Easter Sunday.

Of the life and virtues of St, Godric the hermit.

This same year, the venerable hermit Godric passed from
this life to that which is eternal. Of his life, his miraculous
acts, and glorious end, we will here introduce a few re-
marks, since it would be an injustice to the saint altogether
to pass over his glorious deeds. This friend of God was
born in Norfolk ; his father's name was Ailward, and his
mother's Eadwenna. He was brought up by his parents in
his native village of Walpole, and there passed part of his

VOL. II. B

2 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1170.

life in their company. When he had passed the innocent
years of childhood he became a tradesman; at first in a
humble manner, and afterwards frequenting the public
market with other traders. One day, as he was walking
alone upon the shore, he found three dolphins cast up by the
sea ; one of which seemed to be dead, and the other two
dying. For humanity's sake he left those which were alive
untouched, but loaded himself with part of that which was
dead, and set out to return home ; but the tide beginning to
rise as usual, was at first over his feet and legs, and at last,
rose as high as his head. But being strong in faith, he con-
tinued to walk along, under the water, guided by the Lord,
until he reached the dry ground ; and delivering the fish to
his parents, he told them all that had happened to him.
Sometimes he would meditate when he was alone, upon
heavenly things, and say over the Lord's prayer and the
creed. In his zeal for religion, he went to St. Andrew's in
Scotland to pray, and with no less devotion went also to
Rome. On his return from thence he joined himself to some
merchants, and with them carried on traffic by sea ; which
brought him so much wealth that he was owner of half one
ship, and the fourth part of another. Being robust in body
and active in mind, he sailed to different countries of the
world, and visiting the holy places of the saints, commended
himself to their protection.

Of the girl who ministered to St. Godric in his pilgrimage.

When Godric had spent sixteen years in the gains of these
trading voyages, he determined to spend, in the cause of
religion, the wealth which his labours had accumulated. He
therefore took the cross and devoutly visited our Lord's
sepulchre ; after which he returned by way of St. James's *
to England. After some time he felt a holy desire to visit
the threshold of the apostles, and communicated this inten-
tion to his parents; and when his mother expressed her
wish to accompany him, if he would let her, he gladly
assented, and with filial obedience, carried her on his shoul-
ders, whenever the roughness of the road required it.
When they had passed through London, a woman of great
beauty approached them, and asked permission to join in

* Compostello in Spain.

A.D. 1170.] ST. GODRIC THE HERMIT. 3

their pilgrimage. To this they readily assented, and she
adhered to them with great diligence and devotion ; for she
washed and kissed their feet, and served them better than
any others. In this manner she conducted herself the whole
way, both going and returning ; no one asked her who she
was or where she came from, nor did she ever mention it.
When they passed through London on their return, she ob-
tained their consent to leave; but she said before going
away, " It is now time for me to go to the place from which
I came : and you must give thanks to God, who never de-
serts those that put their trust in Him ; for I tell you that
you will surely obtain that which you prayed for at Rome
from the apostles." None of the company saw this woman
except Godric and his mother only.

How the man of God, on his return home, retired into the desert.

When he had restored his mother in safety to the protec-
tion of his father, he sold all that he had, received their
blessing, and left them, in order to become a hermit. In
the extreme parts of England he came to a city called Car-
lisle, where, finding some of his relations, he obtained from
one of them a present of one of St. Jerome's psalters, which
in a short time he learned to recite by heart. He then,
without the knowledge of his friends, retired to the woods,
where he lived some time on wild herbs and fruits ; and
both serpents and wild beasts came and looked on him, but
after a time left him without doing him any harm. In this
desert he spent many days as a hermit ; at one time on his
knees, at another time with his hands raised to heaven, or
prostrate on the ground, he was constantly in prayer to God.
At last he found in that place a hermit's cave, into which he
entered, and received the salutation, " Welcome, brother
Godric ! " To which he replied, " How do you do, father
Ailric?" though they never knew one another before.
" You are sent by Heaven," replied the old man, " to bury
my old body when I am dead." These two lived together
two years, though neither of them had any property. At
last the old hermit became very infirm, and was carried
about by Godric, who brought him food, and fetched a priest
to hear his confession, and administered to him the eucharist.
Godric, therefore, seeing that he became worse, said, " Thou

b 2

DA

4 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- WO.

spirit, that hast been created after God's likeness, I adjure
thee by the Almighty God, not to leave this body without
my knowledge." The old man thereupon died immediately,
and Godric saw a kind of spherical body like a hot and burn-
ing wind, which shone like most transparent glass, in the midst
of an incomparable whiteness, though no one can describe
the measure of the soul's qualities. At the news of the holy
man's death, his companions, who were at the , court of
St. Cuthbert, where, when a young man, he had himself
resided, buried him in the cemetery of Durham.

How the blessed Godric went to Jerusalem and returned safe.

When the brother aforesaid was buried, Godric returned
to the desert, doubting what might be the divine will con-
cerning him. Whilst, therefore, he was praying earnestly to
God on this subject, a voice came from heaven saying to
him, " It is expedient that thou shouldst go to Jerusalem and
return again." Also St. Cuthbert, Christ's holy confessor,
appeared to him saying, " Go to Jerusalem, and be crucified
with the Lord, and I will there be your helper and patron in
all things. When you have completed this journey, you
shall serve God under my protection at Finchale." Godric
returning to Durham, took the cross and received the priest's
blessing. On this journey he ate nothing but barley bread
and drank water, he neither changed nor washed his clothes,
nor ever took off his shoes to change or mend them, until he
arrived as the holy places. When he came to the Lord's
tomb and the other sacred places, he prayed devoutly, shed-
ding tears, and kissing the spot so long and devoutly, that
one could hardly have thought it possible. He then went to
the river Jordan, where, clothed in sackcloth, and with acup
which he carried in his wallet, and a small cross, which he
always bore in his hand, he entered the river, which he
always after loved, and there putting off his clothes, came
forth washed and clean ; but he threw away his shoes, and
said, "Almighty God, who in this land didst walk with naked
feet, and didst suffer thy feet to be pierced with nails upon
the cross: henceforth I will never again wear shoes."
Having thus fulfilled his vow of pilgrimage, he returned to
England.

A.D. 1170.] ST. GODRIC DWELLS WITH WILD BEASTS. 5

How the blessed Godric, by God*s inspiration, chose his residence
at Finchale.

Returned from pilgrimage, he found a secret place in a
forest, in the north of England, called Eskdale, which he
thought would suit him to dwell in. He accordingly built a
hut of logs, covering it with turf, and dwelt there a year
and some months : but when the proprietors of the land began
to annoy him, he left it and went to Durham, where he made
such rapid progress in learning the Psalter afresh, that he
soon knew as much of the psalms, hymns, and prayers, as he
thought sufficient. Wherefore, one day, inspired from on
high, he went into a grove in the neighbourhood, where he
heard a shepherd say to his comrade, " Let us go and water
our flocks at Finchale." Godric hearing these words, gave
the shepherd the only penny he had, to conduct him to that
place. As he proceeded towards the interior of the forest,
there met him a fierce wolf of extraordinary size, which
rushed upon him, as if it would tear him in pieces. Godric,
perceiving that this was one of the wiles of the old enemy,
made the sign of the cross, saying, " I adjure thee in the name
of the Holy Trinity to depart with speed, if the service which
I propose to discharge to God in this place is acceptable to
him ! " At these words, the animal prostrated himself with
his impious feet, as if begging pardon of the holy man.

How Saint Godric dwelt at Finchale among the wild beasts and serpents.

Intending, therefore, to serve the Lord in this place,
Godric, by licence of Ralph bishop of Durham, formed a
cave in the earth near the bank of the river Wear, and
covering it with turf, resided therein among the wild beasts
and serpents. The number of serpents was fearful; but
they were all tame towards the man of God, suffering them-
selves to be handled, and obedient to his commands. Some-
times as he sat by the fire they would twine round his legs,
or coil themselves up in his dish or his cup. After having
passed some years in this way of life, he thought that the
serpents impeded his prayers; wherefore one day seeing
them about him as usual, he commanded them to enter his
house no more ; upon which all those vermin wholly left it,
and never again crossed his threshold. When, also, presents
of food and other articles were offered to him, he declines

6 ROGER OF WENDOVER. LA,D# 1170'

them altogether, preferring to live by the labour of his hands :
and he burnt boughs and branches of trees to ashes, which
he mixed with his barley flour in such proportion that the
ashes formed one-third of the whole ; and he restrained the
passions of the body by weeping, watching, and fasting, so
that sometimes he even passed six days without eating.
After tempting him strongly with luxury, the devil appeared
to him in the form of a wild beast, such as a bear, a lion,
bull, or wolf, a fox, or a toad, and endeavoured to alarm
him ; but he was strong in faith and despised them all. To
quench the burnings of the flesh, he subdued his body by
the use of the harshest sackcloth, and for fifty years wore a
coat of mail. His table was a broad flat stone, on which stood
his bread, such as I have before described it, but he never
tasted it until compelled by absolute necessity: his drink
was a moderate draught of water, and only when urged by
extreme thirst ; he never reposed in a bed, but would lie on
the ground when he was fatigued, with his sackcloth under
him, and with his head reclining on the stone which served
him for a table. When the moon shone, he devoted himself
to his works, and, shaking off sleep, spent the time in
prayer. In winter, amid snow and hail, he entered the river
naked, and there, during the whole night, offered himself up
a living victim to the Lord, immersed up to his neck, and in
this state poured forth psalms, and prayers, and tears.
Whilst he was in the water, the devil used often to appear
to him with all his limbs distorted, and on the point of rush-
ing on him, but he was repulsed in confusion at the sign of
the holy cross ; he endeavoured, however, to carry off the
clothes of the holy man, but was so terrified by Godric's
shouts, that he cast them also away and fled.

How Saint Godric one day saw a child come forth from the mouth of the
crucifix, and reverently settle himself in the bosom of its mother.

One day, whilst the man of God was sitting in his oratory
repeating the psalter, he saw a little boy come out of the
mouth of the crucifix, who, going to the image of the
blessed virgin, which stood on the north end of the same
plank, sat himself in her bosom. She, on the other hand,
stretching out her hands to meet him, fondled him in her arms
for nearly three hours. The boy during the whole time

A.D. 1170.] VISIT OF THE HOLY VIRGIN TO GODRIC. 7

moved as if he was alive ; and both when he came and when
he went, the image of the virgin trembled so much that the
plank seemed likely to fall. Godric thought that the limbs
of the image were filled with the spirit of life, and that the
boy was no other than Jesus of Nazareth. The child after-
wards returned into the mouth of the crucifix in the same
way as it came out.

How our Lord's mother and Mary Magdalene appeared to Saint Godric,
and of the song which our Saviour's mother taught him.

Another time, when the man of God was praying before
the altar of the blessed virgin mother of God, he saw two
girls, of tender age, and of the utmost beauty, standing at
the two horns of the altar, and clothed in garments of snowy
whiteness. They stood some time looking at one another,
and Godric did not dare to move, but turned his eyes from one
to the other, and occasionally bowed his head in adoration. The
virgins then approached him, and she who was at the right
hand of the altar asked him, "Dost thou know me, Godric?"
To whom he answered, " That is impossible, lady, except to
whom you design to reveal yourself." She replied, " Of a
truth thou hast said that I am the mother of Christ, and
through me thou shalt obtain his grace. This other lady is
the female apostle of the apostles, Mary Magdalene." Godric
now threw himself at the feet of the mother of God, saying,
" I commit myself to thee, my lady, and beseech thee to take
me under thy protection." She then placed both of her
hands on his head, and smoothing down his hair, filled the
house with a sweet odour. After this she sang, and taught
Godric to sing a song, which he afterwards often repeated
and imprinted it firmly on his memory : the song in the
English idiom is as follows :* —

* Seinte Marie, clane virgine,
Moder Jesu Christ Nazarene,
Onfo, scild, help thin Godrich
Onfang, bring heali widh the in Godes rich.
Seinte Marie, Christes bour,
Meidenes clenhed, moderes flour,
Delivere mine sennen, regne in min mod,
Bringe me to blisse wit thi selfe, God."

* These are the exact words of the original, and form a curious
fragment of early English religious poetry.

8 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1170.

This song may thus be rendered in Latin : — " Sancta Maria,
virgo munda, mater Jesu Christi Nazareni, suscipe, adduc,
sancta, tecum in Dei regnum. Sancta Maria, Christi thala-
mus, virginalis puritas, matris flos, dele mea crimina, regna
in mente mea, due me ad felicitatem cum solo Deo." This
song Christ's mother told Godric to sing whenever he was
fearful of being overcome by pain, sorrow, or temptation.
" And when you call on me by singing it," continued she,
" you shall immediately have my help." She then made the
sign of the cross upon his head, and in his sight went up to
heaven, leaving behind a pleasant odour.

How Saint Godric raised two dead persons to life again.
One day there came to the man of God a husband and
wife, and besought him mercifully to restore to life their
daughter who was dead, and at the same time they produced
her body from a sack which they brought with them. The
man of God, judging himself unworthy to perform such a
meritorious deed, made no answer, but went into the field
to his usual labour ; at which the two persons were disturbed
and took their departure, leaving the body in his oratory,
" for," said they, " he may keep the corpse and bury it, or
else restore it to life ; which he could do if he pleased. In
the evening Godric returning, found the body in the corner
of his oratory, and immediately began devoutly to pray God,
who is the source of life and health to all, to bring back the
girl to life. This he continued to do for three days and two
nights ; when, on the third day, whilst he was still lying
prostrate before the altar, he saw the girl advance towards
it ; upon which he forthwith called her parents and restored
her to their cares, making them at the same time swear that,
so long as he lived, they would reveal this secret to no one.
At another time, also, when the dead body of a boy was
brought by his parents privately to the man of God, he bade
them place it on the altar of the blessed virgin in his oratory,
saying, " Do not suppose that the boy is dead, but kneel down
with me and entreat the divine mercy for the child." When
they had prayed, he told them to go and take the boy from
the altar, which when they went to do, they found him alive
and smiling. The man of God afterwards bound them by
oath, not to reveal this deed to any one as long as he should
be alive.

A.D. 1170.] GODRIC'S OPINION OF HIMSELF. 9

Of the answer which the man of God gave to one who wished to write

his life.

The saint had some intimate friends among the monks of

Durham, especially one whose name was N .* This

man was repeatedly urged to write the life and virtues of
St. Godric for the benefit of posterity, and to obtain more
certain information on the subject, he came to the man of
God, to learn from him what he should write. Whilst
sitting at the saint's feet, he said that he proposed to write
his life, and stated the benefit which would result to pos-
terity from a knowledge of what he had done : to which the
man of God replied with much energy, " My friend, the life
of Godric is as follows : — In the first place, Godric the coarse
rustic, the unclean fornicator, a falsifier, deceiver, and per-
jurer, a vagrant, petulant and gluttonous, a foul dog, a base
worm, not a hermit but a hypocrite, not a solitary but a loose-
minded fellow, a devourer of alms, contemptuous, a lover of
pleasure, negligent, slothful, and snoring away his time,
prodigal and ambitious, unworthy to serve others, and ever
lashing or rebuking those who ministered to himself. These
are the things, and still worse than these which you will
have to write about Godric." When he had said these
words, indignantly, he held his peace, and the monk retired
in confusion : but when some years had intervened, he did
not dare again to question the saint about his past life, until
Godric himself, in compassion, or perhaps because he repented
of the wrong he had done him, of his own accord told him
what he wished to know, but at the same time adjured the
monk, by the regard which they had for one another, to
show the book to no one during his life.

Of the answer which Godric gave when asked concerning the departure of
the soul, and its state after death.

Another time, when the same monk came to him at the
feast of Saint John the Baptist to celebrate mass for him, he
sat outside the door of his oratory, and heard Godric within
singing. After vespers, the brother asked him what was the
nature of the soul's departure from this world : to which he

* We learn from other sources that this man's name was Reginald. N.
for nomen, is the letter commonly used by the medieval writers and copyists,
to occupy the place of a name not known to them.

10 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1170.

is said to have received this answer : — " The pious soul,"
said he, " departs gently from the body ; but the sinful soul,
as if unfit to depart, is urged thereto by many lashes. As
soon as it has made its exit from the body, it mounts aloft,
awaiting the pleasure of the Almighty. Now there is in the
air a narrow iron gate, guarded on both sides by spirits both
good and evil: through it the souls of the just are admitted
by an easy passage, but those of the wicked are severely
constrained and tormented, and miserably driven downwards.
I this day saw the soul of a just man pass through it, and in
my joy thereat, I began to sing with the angels that con-
ducted it, and this was what you heard with so much sur-
prize."

How St. Peter celebrated mass for St, Godric.

The same monk on another occasion, returning thither
a^ain. asked the man of God if he would like to hear a mass :
to which he replied, " I have to-day heard the mass of the
Holy Trinity, and received the communion from the hand
of a man in white, who, descending from heaven, again as-
cended thither after he had admonished me to confess my
sins, and I had told all that occurred to me of what I had
done amiss. Thus he gave me absolution, and I received
the communion from his hands, after which he raised his hands
over me and ascended into heaven. Do you recommend
me then, my son, after this, to receive confession or commu-
nion from your hands?" The monk said he could not dare
to do so ; but at the same time asked him which of the saints
it was. The man of God replied that it was Peter the
apostle, who had been sent by God to absolve him from his
sins. " Do you, then," said he, " celebrate mass in honour
of the blessed virgin, that by her mediation we may gain the
favour of her Son." And the monk, giving thanks to God,
joyfully did as he was bidden.

How St. Godric was released from the demons by prayer and the sign of

the cross.

When Godric had spent forty years in the desert at
Finchale, he was worn out with disease and old age, and
drew near his latter end. For during almost eight years he
kept his bed, and could not even turn on his side without

A.D. 1170.] DEATH OF ST. GODR1C. 11

some one to help him : * his pains and temptations were at
this time so numerous that it is impossible for tongue to tell
or pen to write them. Two demons came to him, carrying a
litter, and said to him, " We are come to carry you to hell,
for you are an old madman, and from being wise are become
foolish," but Godric made the sign of the cross and uttered a
prayer to God, which put the demons to flight.

How the devil struck Godric on the head, and of his death.

Afterwards, when the man of God was once lying alone on
his bed, the attendants, who were without, heard a voice call-
ing them ; one of them running in, found him lying naked on
the floor of his oratory, and placing him back on the bed,
asked him why he lay on the floor. "The devil," said
Godric, " stood by me, and seeing me lying careless after a
doze, he suddenly threw me out of bed, and dashed my head
against the bench." As he said this, he showed them a
swelling on his head, and added, " The devil came upon me
so suddenly, that I had no time to protect myself by making
the sign of the cross, saying, * Ah, Godric the rustic, I could
not vanquish you by the agency of my satellites, but
whilst you were enjoying repose in your bed, I have
now killed you.' Let every one therefore reflect how danger-
ous it is to give way to bodily pleasures, or to indulge in
sloth ; God is never found among those who live luxuriously."
The venerable father Godric died on the 21st of May, which
was the octave of our Lord's ascension : his life and actions
seem to be more than human, and above the power of man
to describe : he was buried on the north side of his oratory,
before the steps of St. John the Baptist's altar, and his tomb
to this day is hallowed by the performance of miracles.

The coronation of young king Henry.

At this time, namely, a.d. 1170, on the 13th of July,
by the king's command, there met at Westminster, Roger
archbishop of York, and all the suffragan bishops of the
church of Canterbury, to crown the king's eldest son Henry ;
who was crowned accordingly, by Roger archbishop of York,

* This was no doubt brought on by his austerity of life, of which pains in
the body are the natural result : the temptations which he endured from
the devil, may be ascribed to imagination.

12 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1170.

on the 18th of June, contrary to the prohibition of our lord
the pope, who sent letters to the archbishop and the other
bishops, to the following purport : " We forbid you all by our
apostolical authority, from crowning the new king, if the case
shall occur, without the consent of the archbishop and church
of Canterbury, nor shall any of you put forth his hand, con-
trary to the ancient customs and dignity of that church, or in
any way forward the coronation aforesaid." This prohibition,
however, was of no avail, for, before the letters were pro-
mulgated, the young king had been crowned. The king
immediately afterwards crossed the sea, and came to a con-
ference with the archbishop at Montmirail, where, also, the
king of France attended, and after a long negotiation about
making peace between them, when they came to the kiss, the
archbishop used the words, "I kiss you to the honour of
God," but the king recoiled from the same, as having been
only conditionally brought to agreement; for though the
archbishop's conscience might be most pure, the king always
objected to the forms of words which he used, as for instance,
saving the honour of God, saving my order, saving God's
holy faith, and the archbishop was suspicious of this caution
on the king's part, lest, if the reconciliation took place, he
should be thought to have acquiesced in the king's unjust
customs of England.

How peace was made between king Henry and Thomas archbishop
of Canterbury.

The king of France again had a conference with the king
of England, William archbishop of Sens, and the bishop of
Nevers, at Freitval, whereat king Henry and the archbishop
rode apart from the rest, twice dismounted from their horses,
and twice mounted again; the king also twice held the
stirrup whilst the archbishop was mounting ; and finally, by
means of Rotric archbishop of Rouen, they came to terms at
Amboise; peace was made between them, and king Henry
wrote the following letter to his son the young king. " This
is to inform you that Thomas archbishop of Canterbury has
made peace with me, to my satisfaction. I therefore com-
mand that he and all his adherents shall be unmolested : and
that you cause all their goods to be restored to him, as
well as to all his clerks and others who left England on his

A.D. 1170.] RETURN OF ARCHBISHOP THOMAS. 13

behalf, as they held them three months before the archbishop
left England. You will also summon before you some of the
best and oldest knights of the honour of Saltwood, and
ascertain by their oaths what property is there held of the see
of Canterbury, and whatsoever is found to be so shall be
held by that tenure. Farewell !" Before the archbishop
crossed to England, he sent a letter to the pope, informing
him that he had made peace with the king. The pope, in his
reply, gave thanks to God, in the following terms. " Anxiety
of heart and bitterness of soul overwhelm us, when we reflect
on the anguish, the burdens, and the wrongs which you have
so long and unflinchingly maintained in the cause of j ustice :
but, that you might fill up the measure of your virtue, you
persevered in your purpose, unconquered by adversity, for
which we laud your admirable fortitude and congratulate you
heartily in the Lord for such long-suffering. For since we
have so long borne with the king of England, and so often
warned him, both in mild and in gentle language, and some-
times with severity and sharpness, that he should reflect and
amend his conduct; if he does not fulfil the terms of the
peace which he has concluded with you, and restore to you
and yours all the possessions that have been taken away,
we give you full power over all persons and places, belong-
ing to your legation, to exercise ecclesiastical discipline upon
them, without appeal, according as you shall think fit."

Of the archbishop's return to England from exile.

With these guarantees from the pope and king, the arch-
bishop sailed for England, and landed at Sandwich on the 3 st
of December. As soon as he arrived, that nothing might be
wanting to hasten the glory of martyrdom, which he ardently
longed for, he sent the following letter to the archbishop of
York. " Whereas the king of England wished his son to be
crowned, and it appears that this office belongs to the arch-
bishop of Canterbury, from ancient custom, it appears, my
brother archbishop, that the said king, setting aside the arch-
bishop aforesaid, has caused the crown of the kingdom to be
placed on his son's head by your hands, and that the oath
prescribed for the maintenance of the church's liberties was
not only not taken, but not even demanded by you ; but that,
on the contrary, the unjust customs of the kingdom, by which

14 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1170.

the church's dignity is in danger of being shipwrecked, were
ratified by oath and held to be binding hereafter for ever.
In which matter, although the vehemence of the king himself
causes us much disquiet, yet we are the more disturbed at the
weakness which you and your brother bishops have displayed,
who, we grieve to say it, have been like rams not having
horns, and have retreated ingloriously before the face of your
pursuer. You might lawfully have discharged this office,
my brother, in your own province, but in the province of
another, and especially of him who was an exile for the sake
of justice, who alone went forth to give glory to God, we
can find nothing in reason itself, nor in the constitution of
the holy fathers to justify such a deed: you allowed those
unjust constitutions to be confirmed on oath, and neglected to
take the shield of faith, and to stand up for the Lord's house
on the day of battle. Wherefore, that we may not, by longer
silence, be involved, on the day of judgment, in the same
sentence as yourself, we do hereby, on the authority of the
holy Roman church, whose servant under God we are,
declare you suspended from every office appertaining to your
episcopal dignity." Archbishop Thomas, also, by virtue of
another letter from the pope, suspended from their episcopal
functions the bishops of London, Salisbury, Exeter, Chester,
Rochester, St. Asaph, and Llandaff, as well as the others who
had assisted at the coronation aforesaid. The pope's letter
was as follows : " The cause for which our venerable brother
Thomas archbishop of Canterbury and legate of the apostolic
see has been driven into exile, need not now be explained to
you, because you were present to witness it, and because the
rumour of it has spread through all the church of the west.
But whereas Theobald of pious memory formerly archbishop
of Canterbury, and predecessor of the present archbishop,
placed the crown on the head of the king of England, and by
these means the church of Canterbury has, as it were, the
right of exercising this office, you have now not hesitated, in
defence of our apostolical letters to the contrary, to aid in the
coronation of the new king, though the archbishop had not
been informed of it, and the ceremony took place in his own
province : you, who ought to have lightened the archbishop's
exile by such consolations as were in your power, have
rather aggravated the case against him, and, we grieve to say

A.D. 1170.] DEATH OP TANCRED. 15

it, added to the pain of his wounds. In which matter,
though we may not be excited to proceed against you as
much as your fault deserves, yet we cannot pass it over
altogether in silence, lest, perchance, which God forbid, the
sentence of the divine severity go forth against both us and
you, if we neglect to punish crimes which have been enacted
openly in the sight of men. Be it known to you that by the
authority which we hold from God, we have suspended you
from the episcopal office, until you shall appear before our
apostolic see to make satisfaction, unless you shall make the
same previously to the archbishop aforesaid, in such manner
that he may think fit to relax this our sentence."

How the king's agents commanded St, Thomas to absolve the excommuni-
cated bishops.

When the venerable archbishop of Canterbury had re-
turned to his church, amid the rejoicings and pious devotion
of both clergy and people, the king's officials immediately
approached him, with orders from their master, to absolve
the suspended bishops and others whom he had excommuni-
cated on the plea that whatever was done against them,
redounded to the injury and subversion of the customs of the
kingdom. The archbishop replied that, if the excommuni-
cated bishops would swear, according to the form which the
church prescribes, that they would abide by the pope's com-
mands, he would, for the peace of the church, and out of
regard for the king, consent to absolve them. When this was
reported to the bishops, they replied that they could not take
an oath of this kind without the king's consent. Shortly
afterwards the archbishop went to visit the young king at
Woodstock, but was met by messengers, who, in the king's
name, commanded him to proceed no further, but to return
to his church. He accordingly returned to Kent, and there
made preparation to celebrate the season of Christmas, which
was approaching.*

* Matthew Paris inserts here the following : — " And when these threats
increased against him, he obeyed them ; for his hour was not yet come.
He therefore spent some days at his manor of Harwes, seven miles from
the monastery of St. Albans, and kept the festival there ; and the man of
God showed no signs of trouble. The abbat of St. Albans supplied him
with abundance of provisions ; and the archbishop, in returning him thanks,
civilly said, * I accept his presents, but would rather have his presence.1

16 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1171.

Of the glorious martyrdom of Thomas archbishop of Canterbury.

a.d. 1171.* On Christmas day, the archbishop of Canter-
bury mounted the pulpit to deliver a sermon to the people,
which when he had finished, he excommunicated Nigel de
Sackville, who had violently seized on the church of Herges,
and the vicar of the same church Robert de Broc, who, in

And the servant said to him, ' My lord, he is at the door coming to you.
On which the archbishop met him at the door. After he and the abbat,
by name Simon, had kissed each other, they had a long converstion. The
archbishop then asked the abbat to go to the young king at Woodstock,
and to advise him in gentle though efficient words, to soften the hatred
which he cherished against him. The abbat in compliance with the arch-
bishop's wish, went at once to the king ; but meeting with nothing but
pride and anger, he returned without effecting any thing. On his telling
the archbishop with sorrow the result of his application, that prelate
answered with a sigh, ' Be it so; be it so !' and, snaking his head, added,
as if with the voice of a prophet, ■ Art thou in such haste for the end to
approach ? ' The abbat at the time did not understand these words, but
they were afterwards clear to him. The archbishop casting an affectionate
and almost weeping eye on the abbat, said to him, ' My lord abbat, I return
you thanks for the trouble you have taken, useless though it has been.'

To heal the sick the leech's art sometimes will fail,
And, spite of remedies, disease weigh down the scale.'

And he added, ' But the king himself will pass sentence without delay;'
and looking on the priests sitting round him, he continued, t How is this, my
friends? this abbat, who is in no way bound to me, has shown me more civi-
lity and kindness than all my brethren and suffragan priests;' for the abbat
on his departure to Woodstock had ordered his ceLlarer to send liberal supplies
daily to the archbishop who was living near. The abbat previous to his
return home, with clasped hands, earnestly entreated the archbishop in his
kindness to honour the abbey of St. Alban's with his much wished for
presence at the approaching Christmas, and to keep that festival, as well as
that of the first English martyr, at that place. The arch prelate replied
with gushing tears, i Oh ! how willingly would I do so, but far otherwise is
it decreed ; go in peace, beloved father abbat ; go to your sanctuary, which
may God have in his keeping ; but I am going to what will be a sufficient
reason for my not coming to you. But rather do you, if it can be so, come
with me to be my guest, and a consoler to me in the troubles which abun-
dantly encompass me.' The abbat refused this, because it was necessary
for him to be present at his abbey on the occasion of such a great festival,
and after receiving the archbishop's blessing, departed. But afterwards
often was his heart rent with sorrow and lamentation that it had not been
permitted him to enter into glory in conjunction with such a great martyr.
The archbishop hastened his journey to his church to keep Christmas ; and
in the eight days of the feast departed to the Lord."

* The year was sometimes considered to begin on Christmas-day : by
which mode of notation Becket's martyrdom on the 29th of December
would fall in 1171 instead of 1170.

A.D. 1171.] MARTYRDOM OP BECKET. 17

derision of the archbishop had maimed one of his horses
loaded with provisions. After this, on the fifth day from
Christmas-day, about the hour of vespers, as the archbishop
was sitting with his clerks in his chamber, William de Tracy,
Reginald Fitz-Urse, Hugh de Morville, and Richard Briton,
coming from Normandy, burst into the room, as if impelled
by madness, and commanded him, in the king's name, to
restore the suspended bishops and absolve those whom he
had excommunicated. To this the archbishop answered
that an inferior judge could not absolve from the sentence of
his superior, and that no man could annul a decision of the
apostolic see : if, however, the bishops of London and Salis-
bury and the other excommunicated persons would swear to
comply with his mandate, he would, for the peace of the
church and out of regard to the king, consent to absolve
them. The men glowing with anger, and in haste to carry
into effect what they had conceived, departed with violence ;
whilst the archbishop, by the advice of his clerks, and be-
cause the hour of vespers was at hand, entered the church for
the service. The four ministers of evil meanwhile had put
on their armour, and following close upon the archbishop,
found that the doors had been by his orders left open be-
hind him. " For," said he, " the church of God should be
open as a place of refuge to all men ; let us not therefore
convert it into a castle." The multitude now began to run
together on all sides, and the four men irreverently entering
the church, cried out, " Where is this traitor to his king ? —
where is the archbishop?" He, hearing himself called,
turned back to meet them; for he had already mounted
three or four steps of the presbytery,* and said to them,
" If you seek the archbishop, here he stands." Upon which
they used harsh language towards him, mixed with threats.
" I am ready to die," said he, " for I prefer the maintenance of
justice and the liberties of the church to my own life ; but
these my adherents have done nothing for which they should
be punished." The murderers now rushed on him with
drawn swords, and he fell uttering these words, " To God
and St. Mary, the patrons of this church, and to St. Dennis,
I commend my soul and the cause of the church !" Thus was
slain this glorious martyr before the altar of St. Benedict,

* The choir.
VOL. II. C

18 ROGER OP WENDOVER. [a,D. 1171.

by a wound received in that part of his body where he had
formerly received the holy oil which consecrated him to the
Lord ; ncr were they content to pollute the church with the
blood of a priest and to profane that holy day, but they also
cut off the crown of his skull, and with blood-stained swords
scattered his brains over the pavement of the church.

How those executioners carried off the spoils of the blessed martyr, and
of the dignified manner of his death.

Thus the glorious martyr was translated to the heavenly
kingdom, whilst the bloody executioners plundered his goods
and carried off all the clothes of his clerks, and whatever they
found in the offices of his servants. Meanwhile his blessed
corpse, which lay on the floor of the church, was carried
about the time of twilight in front of the high altar, where
the bystanders discovered a fact of which they had all before
been ignorant; for though the archbishop had concealed
under a canonical habit the monkish dress which he had
secretly worn ever since his promotion, he was found to
have worn the sackcloth shirt — a thing before unheard of —
so long, that it covered his thighs also. There were also
certain concurrents in his life which we will here briefly
enumerate : — It was on a Tuesday that the archbishop left
the king's court at Northampton ; on Tuesday he left Eng-
land to go into exile ; on Tuesday he returned to England,
according to the pope's mandate ; and on Tuesday, also, he
suffered martyrdom. Early in the morning of Wednesday,
a report was spread abroad that the murderers had deter-
mined to carry off the body from the church, and cast it out
of the city to be torn in pieces by the dogs and crows ; but
the abbat of Boxley, with the prior and convent of the church
of Canterbury, hastily buried it, without the usual form of
washing it, for it was macerated by long abstinence, sub-
dued by the shirt of sackcloth, and hallowed by the washing
of its own blood. Many remarkable concurrents may be
observed in this martyrdom : first, that he suffered in
asserting justice and maintaining the liberties of the church v:
secondly, that the place of his suffering was not an ordinary
church, but the mother of all the English churches; thirdly,
the time, which was Christmas, when these murderers com-
pleted their act of treason ; fourthly, that he was not a com

A.D. 1171 .] KING HENRY'S REPENTANCE. 19

mon priest, but the chief and father of all the priests in
England; and fifthly, that he suffered, not in one of his
ordinary members, but on the place where he had received
the tonsure of priesthood, and where the holy anointing oil
had been shed.

Of the king's repentance, and how he sent messengers to Rome to excuse

the deed*

King Henry was at Argenton in Normandy when he
heard the news of this melancholy deed. At first he was
plunged by it into the deepest distress, and changed his royal
robes for sackcloth and ashes, calling Almighty God to wit-
ness that the deed was done without his wish or connivance,
except so far as he was guilty in not having loved the arch-
bishop as he ought. On this point he submitted himself to
the judgment of the church, and promised to acquiesce with
humility in whatever should be her sentence. For this pur-
pose he sent ambassadors to make his excuse before the
supreme pontiff, and to assert his innocence ; but the pope
would not receive them or admit them even to kiss his feet :
they were however afterwards received by the cardinals, but
with nothing more than words of form. On Thursday before
Easter, when the pope is in the habit of publicly absolving
or excommunicating those who have deserved it, it was told
the king of England's ambassadors that the pope had deter-
mined, with the advice of his whole council, to pass an inter-
dict on their master by name, throughout all his dominions,
and to confirm that which had been passed on the archbishop
of York and the other English bishops. In this strait the
cardinals told the pope that the king's ambassadors had been
instructed to swear that their master would abide by the
decision of the pope and cardinals in every particular. Ac-
cording to which suggestion the ambassadors took an oath to
that effect, and so averted the sentence of interdict. The
emissaries of the archbishop of York and of the other bishops
followed their example The pope, then, on that day, excom-
municated the wicked murderers of St. Thomas archbishop of
Canterbury and martyr, and all who had given their advice,
assistance, or consent to the deed, as well as all who should
receive them into their territories or maintain them. The
four men were at this time in the king's castle of Knares-
borough, where they remained a year.

c 2

20 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1171.

Of the miracles which now began to be manifested in honour of the

holy martyr.

The same year, about Easter, our Lord Jesus Christ, who
is always wonderful in his saints, began to illustrate by
frequent miracles the laudable life, and insuperable fortitude
in death, of his glorious martyr archbishop Thomas ; that
seeing he had for so many years patiently endured per-
secution, both in his own person and in that of his friends,
he might on this account be shown to have received the
crown of triumph which was due to his merits. From the
tomb of the glorious martyr, no one who goes there in
faith ever returns without profit, by whatever infirmity he
may have been afflicted ; — the lame walk, the deaf hear, the
blind see, the dumb speak, lepers are cleansed, and dead
bodies are raised to life ; not only those of men and women,
but even of animals and birds.

The same year, also, on the 7th of August, king Henry
returned to England, and visited Henry of Winchester, now
on his death-bed, who rebuked the king for the death of the
glorious martyr Thomas, and foretold many of the evils
which would come upon him on account of it. The bishop
died* full of years, the next day.

How king Henry went to Ireland, and received the homage of certain

of its kings.

On the 18th of October in that same year, king Henry
landed in arms on the coast of Ireland, where he received
homage and fealty from its archbishops and bishops. The
king of Limely, the king of Chore, and the king who bore
the surname of One-eyed, did homage to him on oath ; but
Roderick, king of Connaught, seeing that his dominions
were inaccessible, in consequence of the intervening marshes,
through which there were no fords nor bridges by which they
might be* crossed, and that it was impossible to sail over
them, declined to meet the king. The same year, on the
feast of St. Nicholas, at Albemarle, Roger archbishop of
York made oath that he had not received the pope's prohi-
bition before the young king was crowned, and that he had
not sworn to comply with the king's customs of England,
and that he had not promoted the death of the glorious
martyr Thomas, by word, or by writing, or by deed to the

A.D. 1172.] MIRACLES AFTER THE MARTYR'S DEATH. 21

best of his knowledge ; and when he had done this, he was
restored to his episcopal functions in full.

Of the reconciliation made for the church of Canterbury after the death

of St. Thomas.

After the death of the blessed martyr Thomas, the church
of Canterbury ceased for a whole year from celebrating the
divine services, and made continual lamentations for him ;
the pavement was torn up, the sound of the bells was sus-
pended, the walls were stripped of their ornaments, and the
whole church performed its obsequies in grief and humilia-
tion, as it were in sackcloth and ashes. At the end of the
year, on the feast of St. Thomas the apostle, the suffragan
bishops met together at the summons of their mother the
church of Canterbury, according to the pope's mandate, to
restore the church squalid with its long suspension to its
former state. Wherefore Bartholomew of Exeter, at the
request of the fraternity, celebrated a solemn mass, and
preached a sermon to the people beginning with these words :
" After the multitude of my sorrows, thy consolations rejoice
my soul."

Of the thunders which were heard generally, and of the atonement which
the king made for the death of St. Thomas.

a.d. 1172. In the night of Christmas day, were heard
thunders, generally, throughout England, Ireland, and Gaul,
sudden and terrible, inviting mankind from divers parts to
come and witness the new miracles of St. Thomas the martyr,
that, as he had shed his blood for the universal church, so
his martyrdom might be fixed in the pious memory of all
men. At the same time, whilst king Henry was in Ireland,
Hugh de St. Maur, and Ralph de Fay, queen Eleanor's uncle,
began, with her approbation, as it is said, to alienate the mind
of the young king from his father, asserting it was incon-
sistent for any one to be a king and yet not to have due
authority in his dominions. Meanwhile, the king his father,
before leaving Ireland, called a council at Lismore, where
the laws of England were gratefully received by all, and con-
firmed by oath. The king then placed in safe custody all the
cities and castles which he had obtained, and, as various
matters of business now rendered his presence necessary

22 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1173.

elsewhere, he embarked on Easter day at evening and landed
the next day in Wales, whence he proceeded to Porchester
and crossed with a favourable wind to Normandy. Thence,
he went without delay to meet the pope's envoys, Albert and
Theodwine, before whom, after long and tedious discussions,
he made oath that the death of the glorious martyr Thomas
had not been perpetrated by his wish or with his consent, or
brought about by any contrivance on his part ; but that, in-
asmuch as his words spoken in anger, to the effect that he fed
a scurvy set of knights and retainers, who were too great
poltroons to take his part against the archbishop, had given
an occasion to his murderers of putting the man of God to
death, the king demanded absolution with the greatest humi-
lity. To this end he promised, at the suggestion of the
legates, to contribute enough money to maintain two hundred
knights for a year in defending the holy land, to allow
appeals to be made without impediment to the Roman see, to
annul the customs which had been introduced in his own
times contrary to the church's liberties, and to restore to the
church of Canterbury all that had been taken from it since
the archbishop's departure, and to allow those of both sexes
who had been exiled in behalf of the blessed martyr, to
return home and resume possession of their property; all
these points the king swore to fulfil, according to the injunc-
tion of our lord the pope, for the remission of his sins. The
same oath was also taken by the young king, Henry's son,
who, immediately afterwards, in the month of August, crossed
with his spouse Margaret into England, and on the 20th of
the same month, at Winchester, Rotroc archbishop of Rouen,
with the assistance of the suffragan bishops of Canterbury,
crowned the aforesaid Margaret queen of England. The
same year, Gilbert bishop of London, having made oath that
to the best of his knowledge he had not promoted the death
of St. Thomas the martyr by word, deed, or writing, was
restored to his episcopal office.

Of the marriage of John the king's son, and of the election to the see of

Canterbury,

a.d. 1173. King Henry obtained in marriage for his son
John, named Lack-land,* the eldest daughter of Hubert

* In French Sans-terre, in Wendover's Latin, Sine-terra.

A.D. 1173.] ROBERT ELECTED ARCHBISHOP. 23

count of Maurienne, by his wife the widow of Henry duke of
Saxony, though she was hardly seven years old. The same
year, also, Robert abbat of Bee was elected archbishop of
Canterbury on the 7th of March at Lambeth, in presence of
the suffragan bishops of that province, but the abbat
altogether declined to be elected, whether from weakness or
from religious motives we are not informed.

The same year the young king Henry, walking in the
counsels of the wicked, left his father, and withdrew to the
court of his father-in-law the king of France ; upon which,
Richard duke of Aquitaine, and Geoffrey count of Brittany,
by the advice as was said of his mother queen Eleanor, chose
to follow their brother rather than their father. Thus se-
ditions were engendered on both sides, with rapine and
conflagration, whereby, if we believe aright, God, to punish
king Henry for his conduct towards St. Thomas, raised up
against him his own flesh and blood, namely his sons, who
persecuted him to death, as the following history will show.
The same year Ralph de Warneville, sacristan of Rouen and
treasurer of York, was made chancellor of England. About
the same time, at the instance of the cardinals Albert and
Theodwine, Henry king of England conceded that the
elections to vacant churches should be freely made, and the
following appointments took place with the consent of the
king's justiciary — Richard archdeacon of Poictiers to the see
of Winchester ; Geoffrey archdeacon of Canterbury to that of
Ely ; Geoffrey archdeacon of Lincoln to that of Lincoln ;
Reginald archdeacon of Salisbury to that of Bath; Robert
archdeacon of Oxford to that of Hereford; and John dean
of Chichester to the bishopric of that same church.

Of the election of Richard to the archbishopric of Canterbury, and the
canonization of St. Thomas.

The same year, on the 9th of July, the suffragan bishops
of the province of Canterbury, with the seniors of the
monastery, elected Richard prior of Dover to the arch-
bishopric; and immediately the bishop-elect swore fealty to
the king, " saving his order," and no mention was made of
observing the customs of the kingdom. This took place at
Westminster in the chapel of Saint Catharine, with the con-
sent of the king's justiciary. In the council, also, was read

24 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1173.

the pope's letter in the audience of all the bishops and
barons, containing, besides other matter, the following: —
" We admonish all your fraternity, and, by our apostolical
authority, strictly command you to celebrate every year the
day of the glorious martyr Thomas, namely, the day on
which he suffered, and endeavour by votive prayers to him
to obtain pardon for your sins, that he who for Christ's sake
bravely endured exile during his life and martyrdom in
death, may intercede to God for us through the earnest sup-
plications of the faithful." This letter was hardly read,
when all raised their voices on high, and cried, " We praise
thee, O God ! " Because, moreover, his suffragans had not
shown due reverence to their father when he was in exile, or
on his return from thence, but rather had persecuted him,
all publicly confessed their error and sin by the mouth of
one of them, as follows : — " Be present, Lord, to these our
supplications, that we who for our sin know ourselves to be
guilty, may be released by the intercession of St. Thomas
thy martyr and high-priest." The same year, Mary, the
sister of the same holy martyr, was by the king's orders
made abbess of Barking. Also, the young king Henry laid
siege to the castle of Gornai, and therein made prisoners
Hugh the lord of the castle and his son, with twenty-four
knights : the castle itself he burned, and compelled the towns-
people to pay ransom. The same year, also, Robert earl of
Leicester, and William de Tankerville, with many counts
and barons, left king Henry and went over to the young
king,*

The king of France invades Normandy with an army.

The same year, Louis king of France assembled a nume-
rous army to lay waste Normandy; and entering that
province, laid siege to Albemarle, and forced William its
lord, with count Simon and several other nobles, to surren-
der. He then took the castle of Driencourt, and placed a
garrison therein, and marching thence to the castle of Arches,
lost on his way the count of Boulogne, whereupon the count
of Flanders, grieved at his brother's death, returned to his
own country. The elder king Henry was all this time at

* " This year, also, the prudent and religious abbat of Reading, William
by name, was elevated to the archiepiscopal see of Bourdeaux." — M.Paris.

A.B. 1173.] DESTRUCTION OF LEICESTER. 25

llouen, apparently unconcerned at what was going on, and
more than usually intent on the chase, whilst to all who
came to him he presented a cheerful and smiling countenance.
But those whom he had maintained about him from his
earliest years now fell off from him, for they thought that
his son had every prospect of soon being king in his stead.
The king of France was now, with the young king, besieging
Yerneuil, when king Henry sent messengers to him, warning
him to leave Normandy without delay, or he would march
against him on that very day. The king of France, knowing
the king of England to be a most powerful prince and of a
most bitter temper, chose to retreat rather than to fight;
wherefore he withdrew from before the face of king Henry,
and retired with all speed into France.

Of the destruction of Leicester.

The same year, on the 4th of July, by the king's com-
mand, the city of Leicester is said to have been besieged,
because the earl, its lord, had left the king and taken part
with the young king his son. When the greater part of the
city had been burned, the citizens began to treat of peace, on
condition of paying three hundred marks to the king, and
having leave to remove to whatever place they chose.
Permission was therefore granted them to go and reside in
the king's cities or castles,* and after their departure the
gates of the city and part of the walls were destroyed, and a
truce granted to the soldiers in the castle until the feast of
St. Michael ; and thus on the 28th of July the siege was at
an end. After this, William king of Scotland claimed of
the king the province of Northumberland, granted to his
grandfather king David, who had held it for some time, but
the English king refused it him ; upon which William, collect-
ing an army of Welsh and Scots, marched securely across
the territories of the bishop of Durham, burned several vil-

* Matthew Paris here makes the following insertion : — " The nobles of
the city were dispersed ; and having offended the king by the defence of
their city, they sought a place of refuge to avoid his threats and anger.
They therefore fled to the territory of St. Alban's the proto-martyr of Eng-
land, and to the town of St. Edmund's the king and martyr, as if to a pro-
tecting bosom, because these martyrs were at that time held in such great
reverence, that the inhabitants of those places afforded an asylum and safe
protection from their enemies to all refugees."

26 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1173.

lages, and slaying both men, women, and children, carried
off an incalculable booty. To repel the invader, the English
nobles assembled together, and forcing William to retire, fol-
lowed him into Lothian, and devastating the whole of that
country with fire and sword, made spoil of all they found in
the fields, and at last, at the instance of the Scottish king
himself, they made a truce until the feast of Hilary, and
returned victorious to England.

How the earl of Leicester and the count of Flanders were taken and

imprisoned.

When Robert earl of Leicester heard what had happened to
his city, he was filled with grief, and crossing through Flanders
with his wife on his way to England, assembled there a large
number of Normans and Flemings, both horse and foot, and
setting sail, landed at Walton in Suffolk on the 29th of Sep-
tember. He immediately laid siege to the castle, but with-
out success, and marching thence on the 13th of October,
assaulted and burned the castle of Hagenet, where he captured
thirty knights, and compelled them to pay ransom. He then
returned to Fremingham; but as his sojourn gave umbrage
to Hugh Bigod lord of the castle, he turned his thoughts
towards Leicester, and marched in that direction. On his
way he endeavoured to surprise St. Edmundbury, but
was prevented by the king's army that was stationed to
guard that part of the country. The earl, therefore, sur-
rounded by a strong force, and having with him three
thousand Flemings, in whom he placed especial confidence,
determined to risk a battle. The engagement began accord-
ingly, and after various vicissitudes, the earl, his countess, with
all the Flemings, Normans, and French, were taken prisoners.
This happened on the 16th of October. The countess had
on her finger a beautiful ring, which she flung into the
neighbouring river, rather than suffer the enemy to make
such gain by capturing her. At length the greater part of
the Flemings were slain, others of them were drowned, and
the remainder made prisoners.

How king Henry took prisoners many of his enemies.

Whilst king Henry the father was stopping in Normandy,
it was told him that his own troops with the men of Brabant

A.D. 1174.] AXIHOLME CASTLE BESIEGED. 27

and the routiers had surprised the choicest of his son's troops
and was blockading them in the city of Dole. Immediately
upon receiving this news, he took horse, and the next morn-
ing reached the camp, and received the surrender of the
enemy after a few days' resistance : but, before his arrival,
the greatest part of them had been slain by his own routiers.
Among the prisoners were Ralph earl of Chester, who had
only a short time previously deserted to his son, Ralph de
Fulgeriis, William Patrick, Ralph de la Haie, Hasculph de
St. Hilaire, besides eighty knights. The same year the
English nobles marched with a very large army to check the
pride of Hugh Bigod; but when things were in such a
position that all thought he might easily have been
vanquished, money passed between them, and a truce was
made until Whit Sunday, whilst fourteen thousand armed
Flemings escorted him safely through Essex and Kent, and
at Dover he was furnished with ships to cross the channel.
The same year the archbishop elect of Canterbury went to
Rome, attended by the bishop of Bath.

How the castle of Axiholme was taken and a large body of men captured.

a.d. 1174. Roger de Mowbray renounced his fealty to the
old king and repaired a ruined castle in the island of
Axiholme,* but a large number of the Lincolnshire men
crossed over in boats and laying siege to the castle, compelled
the constable and all the knights to surrender: they then
again reduced the fortress to ruins. On the last day of
April, the old king hearing that his son Richard had seized
the castle of Santonge, marched with the men of Poictou to
recover it. Richard's knights, showing no reverence either
to God or the church, entered the cathedral, and converting
it into a castle, filled it with armed men and provisions. The
king, being informed that the enemy occupied three strong-
holds, prepared to attack them: two of them were im-
mediately reduced, and he then approached the cathedral
which was full of soldiers and loose characters, not to attack
it but to purify it from its desecration. Altogether, reckon-
ing both those who were in the church and those who were
taken elsewhere, sixty knights and four hundred cross-bow
men were made prisoners. In this manner tranquillity

* Hoveden calls this castle Kinardeferie.

28 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1174.

having been restored to those parts, Henry was obliged to
return to Normandy ; for Philip count of Flanders, in the
presence of Louis king of France and the nobles of that king-
dom, had sworn on the holy Gospels, that within fifteen days
after the approaching feast of St. John, he would invade
England in force, and reduce it under subjection to the
young king. Elated by this prospect young Henry came to
Witsand on the 14th of July, with the intention of sending
over Ralph de la Haie with an army to England : the earl of
Flanders sent forwards three hundred and eighteen veteran
knights to be transported over also, who, soon after they
landed at Arwell,* on the 10th of June, immediately joined
Hugh Bigod the earl. Proceeding at once to Norwich they
took that city on the 28th of June and obtained there a large
booty, besides compelling many captives, whom they took
there, to pay a large sum of money for their ransom. The
king's justiciary seeing this, by common consent sent Richard
bishop elect of Winchester, to inform the king of the dangers
which threatened England. The bishop, crossing without
delay into Normandy, laid before the king a faithful account
of all that was going on in England.

How the king, returning to England, paid a visit to the tomb of St. Thomas,

to pray there.

The king received the bishop with due respect, and
immediately prepared to cross over into England, taking
with him queen Eleanor, queen Margaret, his son John, and
his daughter Joanna. He also sent forward the earl and
countess of Leicester with other prisoners, to Barbefleuve,
where he went on board ship with a large army, but the wind
proving unfavourable, the seamen were afraid to venture out
that day. The king, perceiving that the sea was rough,
raised his eyes to heaven, and uttered these words in the
presence of all his people : " If my intentions are directed to
maintain peace both for my clergy and people, if the King of
heaven has decreed to restore tranquillity in my kingdom
when I arrive there, may he then grant that I may reach the
shore in safety : but if his anger is roused, and he has
decreed to visit the kingdom of England with the rod of his
fury, may he never suffer me to reach the shores of that

* Near Harwich-

A. D. 1174.] PENITENCE OF KING HENRY. 29

country ! " When he had finished this prayer, he set sail
that same day, and after a fair passage reached Southampton
in safety. He then fasted on bread and water, and would
not enter any city, until he had fulfilled the vow which he
had made in his mind to pray at the tomb of St. Thomas
archbishop of Canterbury and glorious martyr. When he
came near Canterbury, he dismounted from his horse, and
laying aside all the emblems of royalty, with naked feet, and
in the form of a penitent and supplicating pilgrim, arrived
at the cathedral on Friday the 13th of June, and like
Hezekiah, with tears and sighs, sought the tomb of the
glorious martyr, where, prostrate on the floor, and with his
hands stretched to heaven, he continued long in prayer.
Meanwhile the bishop of London was commanded by the
king to declare, in a sermon addressed to the people, that he
had neither commanded, nor wished, nor by any device con-
trived the death of the martyr, which had been perpetrated
in consequence of his murderers having misinterpreted the
words which the king had hastily pronounced : wherefore he
requested absolution from the bishops present, and baring his
back, received from three to five lashes from every one of the
numerous body of ecclesiastics who were there assembled.*
The king then resumed his garments, and made costly offer-
ings to the martyr ; assigning forty pounds yearly for candles
to be burned round his tomb : the remainder of the day and
the following night were spent in grief and bitterness ot
mind. For three days the king took no sustenance, giving
himself up to prayer, vigils, and fasting : by which means the
favour of the blessed martyr was secured, and, on the very
Saturday on which he prayed that indulgence might be
shown him, God delivered into his hands William king of
Scots, who was forthwith confined in Richmond castle. On
that same day, also, the ships which the young king his son
had assembled in order to invade England, were dispersed
by the weather and almost lost, and the young king was
driven back to the coast of France.

The capture of William the king of Scotland.
The mode in which the Scottish king became a prisoner,

* It may be safely presumed that the lashes administered to royal
shoulders on this occasion wre not laid on with the utmost severity of the
law.

30 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1174.

was, briefly, as follows. He invaded Northumberland, as he
had done the year before, for the purpose of uniting it to his
own dominions : but the nobles of that part of the country
met him in arms, and after a pitched battle, took him
prisoner. So many of those Scottish vermin were slain that
the number exceeds all calculation. The king was placed in
custody at Richmond castle, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of
Merlin, "A rein shall be placed upon his jaws, fabricated in
the bosom of Armorica;" L e. the castle of Richmond, which
was at that time possessed by Armorican princes, and had
been so from ancient times.

To form a true estimate of the benefits which resulted to
the king from his penitence at the tomb of the martyr and
the intercession which the saint made for him, we must con-
sider the sequel of our history. When the king had finished
his prayers, he went to London where he was received with
respect by the people, and from thence he went to Hunting-
don, where he besieged and took the castle on the 19th of
July. There the knights of the earl of Leicester came and
surrendered to him the castles of Grobi and Mountsorel, that
he might show greater consideration towards their master.
On the 22nd of July, the Northern nobles, with the bishop
elect of Lincoln,* the king's son, at their head, reduced
Malessart the castle of Roger de Mowbray ; and troops now
coming in on all sides, Henry determined to besiege the two
castles of Hugh Bigod, Bungay, and Framingham : but the
earl, having no hope of successful resistance, gave hostages
and paid a thousand marks, by which means he obtained
peace on the 25th of July. The army of Flemings, who had
been sent over by count Philip, were then allowed to return,
but first compelled to make oath that they would not again
invade England. The troops of the young king, also, com-
manded by Ralph de la Have, left England without impedi-
ment. Moreover Robert earl of Ferrars and Roger de
Mowbray, whose castles of Thirsk and Stutbury were at that
time besieged by the king, sent heralds and asked for peace.
William earl of Glocester, and Richard earl of Clare, met the
king, and promised implicit obedience to his commands.
Thus this glorious king having conquered all his enemies and
restored peace to England, crossed into Normandy on the
* Geoffrey Plantagenet.

A.D. 1175.] THE KING AND HIS SONS RECONCILED. 31

7th of July, attended by his prisoners, the king of Scotland,
the earl of Leicester, and Hugh de Castello.

How the king of France abandoned the siege of Rouen.

When king Henry landed in Normandy, on the 11th of
July, he found the city of Rouen besieged ; for Louis king
of France and the young king Henry, with the count of
Flanders, had assembled a large force in the absence of the
king, and severely pressed the citizens ; but when the king
of France heard that the king of England was coming, he
retreated, not without some detriment to his reputation, and
the English soldiers seized on a large quantity of his arms
and munitions of war. The same year, the archbishop of
Canterbury returned from Rome, bringing back with him the
pall and the primacy of England. Arriving at London on
the 30th of August, he convoked the principal clergy be-
longing to the vacant churches, which had lately elected fresh
prelates, and confirmed and consecrated the bishops elect of
Winchester, Ely, Hereford, and Chichester : but Geoffrey,
bishop elect of Lincoln, whose election had not yet been con-
firmed, crossed the sea, with the intention of sending mes-
sengers to Rome, or going there in his own person.

How all the king's sons made peace with their father,

a. d. 1175. Louis king of France and the count of
Flanders, beginning to feel the expenses which they had in-
curred in the cause of the young king of England, and re-
flecting on the loss of life and property which had fallen on
their subjects, promised to abstain from invading Normandy ;
and did their best to reconcile the king with his sons, who,
as they well knew, had incurred their father's malediction,
the hatred of the clergy, and the imprecations of the whole
people. The king, therefore, informed by the report of the
messengers that all his adversaries were reduced to re-
pentance, arranged to meet them at Mans, where his
sons Geoffrey and Richard first did homage to him, and
took the oath of fealty. After a few days, the young king,
with the archbishops of Rouen, and many other bishops and
barons, came before the old king at Bure in Normandy, and
throwing himself at his father's feet, implored his mercy.
The king, his father, moved with affection towards his son,

32 KOGER OF WENDOVEK. [a.D. 1175.

whom he ardently loved, and perceiving his sincerity, he
was no longer angry with him, but received his homage and
oath of fidelity. When peace was fully made, and ratified
all round by a kiss, the king released without ransom nine
hundred and sixty-nine knights, whom he had taken in the
war ; but a few, whose excessive misdeeds had provoked him,
in spite of his merciful inclinations, to anger, were com-
mitted to still closer confinement. The young king, also,
released without ransom all the knights whom he had taken
in war, amounting in number to more than one hundred.
Then the king, his father, sent letters into all parts of his
dominions to inform them of the reconciliation which had
taken place, that, as they had suffered generally by the war,
they might now rejoice in the re-establishment of peace.
The letters also notified that all castles which had been for-
tified against him during the war, should be reduced to the
state in which they were before hostilities commenced.*

William, the king of Scotland, makes peace with king Henry.

The same year William king of Scotland, who was pri-
soner at Falaise, made peace with the king of England on
the 8th of December, on the following terms. The king of
Scotland declared himself the liegeman of the king of
England, for the kingdom of Scotland and all his dominions,
and did homage and allegiance to him as his especial lord,
and to Henry, the king's son, saving his faith to his father ;
and in the same way all the bishops, with the earls and
barons of Scotland, from whom the king wished to receive
homage and fealty, and not only for themselves but for their
successors, to the king and to his successors for ever, without
mental reservation of any kind. Moreover, the king of
Scots and all his men promised that they would not harbour
in any part of their dominions fugitives out of England, but
would arrest them and give them up to the king of England

* " In the same year, a general council was held at Westminster on the
fifteenth day of June, of which Richard archbishop of Canterbury and
legate of the apostolic s< e, was president. Roger archbishop of York re-
fused to attend. Reginald earl of Cornwall died in this year. Hugh
Petroleonis, a cardinal deacon, came as legate to England, and gained
favour in the sight of the king by granting the power of handing priests
over to the secular authority, for forfeiture of land and lay demesnes." —
M. Paris.

A. D. 1176.] VISIT TO THE TOMB OF ST. THOMAS. 33

and to his justices. As a guarantee for the observance of
this treaty, the king of Scotland gave up to king Henry and
his successors the castles of Berwick and Roxburgh* for
ever; and, if the king of Scotland should ever contravene
this treaty, the bishops, earls, and barons of Scotland under-
took to oppose him, and the bishops to lay his kingdom
under an interdict, until he should return to his duty towards
the king of England. Thus king William gave hostages,
and returned to England in free custody, until the castles
should be surrendered according to his bargain with the
king. And many of the fortresses which had been raised
through England and Normandy, during the dissension
between the father and son, were now, by the king's com-
mand, destroyed.

How the two Icings, father and son, paid a visit to the tomb of St. Thomas.

A. d. 1176. The kings of England, father and son, on
their return to England, ate every day at the same table,
and slept every night in the same bedroom. They also
together visited the blessed martyr St. Thomas, to offer up
their prayers and vows at his tomb ; after which they went
through England, promising justice to everyone, both clergy
and laity, which promise they afterwards fully performed.
The same year, William de Brause, having craftily as-
sembled a multitude of the Welsh in the castle of Aber-
gavenny, forbade travellers to carry a knife or bow, but
when they opposed this decree, he condemned them all to
capital punishment. That you may understand how he
palliated his treachery under the cloak of right, he per-
petrated this deed to avenge his uncle, Henry of Hereford,
whom they had slain on the previous Easter Saturday. The
same year, Richard archbishop of Canterbury, appointed
three archdeacons, Savary, Nicholas, and Herbert, in his
diocese, though up to this time it had been content with one
archdeacon. The same year John dean of Salisbury was
consecrated bishop of Norwich, and not long after, the
king of England rased to the ground the castles of Leicester,
Huntingdon, Walton, Grobi, Stutsbury, Hay, and Thirsk,
besides many others, in return for the injuries which the
lords of those castles had often done to him. He then, by

* Also the castles of Jedburgh, Edinburgh, and Stirling.
VOL. II. D

34 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1176.

the advice of his son and the bishops, appointed justices
through six districts of his kingdom, in each part three, who
made oath that they would do full justice to every body.

How the king granted four articles to Peter the legate of the Roman see.

About this time Petro-Leonis, the pope's legate, came to
England, and the king conceded to him the four articles
following, to be observed in the kingdom of England. First,
that for the future no clerk should be dragged in person
before any secular judge, for any crime or transgression,
except in the matter of the forest or a lay-fee, for which lay-
service is due to the king or to any other lord : secondly,
that archbishoprics, bishoprics, and abbacies should not be held
in the king's hand beyond a year, except for an evident
cause or urgent necessity : thirdly, that murderers of clerks,
convicted or confessed, should be punished before the king's
justiciary, in presence of the bishop: fourthly, that clerks
should not be compelled to serve in war. The same year,
Johanna, the king's daughter, who had been promised in
marriage to the king of Sicily, was on the 9th of No-
vember, at St. Giles's, delivered to her husband in the sight
of an illustrious company of persons, who witnessed it ; and
at the same time, all the castles in England were given into
custody by the king's orders. Also, William earl of Gloucester
not having a son, and unwilling that his inheritance should
be divided between his daughters, constituted the king's son,
John Lack -land, his heir.*

How foreign kings submitted their differences to the decision of the kitig

of England.

About this time, Alphonso king of Castile, son-in-law of
the king of England, and Sancho king of Navarre, his uncle,
being at variance, sent ambassadors to the king of England,
and promised to abide by his decision. When the ambas-
sadors appeared at Westminster before the king, bishops,

* Matthew Paris adds : — " Hugh Petro-Leonis, after fulfilling his em-
bassy, set sail. King Henry gave his youngest daughter to the king of
Apuleia, and crossed sea on the 27th of August. Richard earl of Strigoyle
died ; William earl of Arundel also died on the 12th of October, at
Waverley, and was buried at Wimundham, a cell of the church of St.
Alban's, of which he was known to have been a patron. Walter, also,
prior of Winchester, was made abbat of Westminster."

A.D. 1177.] KING HENRY'S DECISIONS. 35

earls, and barons, it was asserted on the part of Alphonso,
that whilst he was still a minor and an orphan, Sancho king
of Navarre had taken from him, unjustly and by violence,
the castles and lands of Logtoium, Navarret, Anthlena, Aptol,
and Agosen, with their appurtenances, which had belonged
to Alphonso's father before he died, and which Alphonso
himself had since for some years possessed ; for which
reason they claimed restitution for their sovereign. The
ambassadors of Sancho, on the other hand, did not deny
these facts, but asserted that Alphonso had taken by force
from Sancho the castles of Legin, Portel, and that held by
Godin ; and, as the opposite party did not contradict, they
with equal urgency claimed restitution for their master.
They also acknowledged publicly that a truce had been
made for seven years, on oath, between the parties. When
the king of England had counselled with his bishops, earls,
and barons on the subject of this quarrel, as it appeared
that neither party denied the acts of violence on either side,
and there appeared to be no reason why mutual restitution
should not be made, the king decided that both parties
should give up what they had taken, that the truce should
be observed up to its full period, and that, for the sake of
peace, Alphonso should pay to Sancho every year for ten
years three thousand marabotins,* and on these terms there
should be final peace and friendship between the two. In
these days, ambassadors from Manuel emperor of Constan-
tinople, from the Roman emperor Frederic, from William
archbishop of Treves, from Henry duke of Saxony, and
Philip count of Flanders, each engaged on his own separate
business, met together in the king's court at Westminster, as
if by agreement, on the 12th of November. We mention
this fact, in proof of the estimation in which all the world
held the wisdom and magnificence of the king, as was
evinced by all of them applying to him for advice and settle-
ment of their disputes.

Of the removal of the secular canons from Waltham church,
a.d. 1177. The canons, called secular, were removed
from the church of Waltham, and regular canons introduced

* The marabotin or marabitin was a Spanish gold coin, the exact value
of which is unknown ; but it was probably borrowed from the Moors. The
modern maravedi is, on the contrary, of a diminutive value.

d2

36 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1178.

in their places, by the authority of the supreme pontiff, on
Whitsun-eve, by the command of the king, who was also
present on the occasion : and the same day, Ralph canon of
Chichester received the government of the same church
from the hands of the bishop of London, to whom, as his
diocesan, he bound himself in express words to pay canonical
obedience ; after which he was introduced into the church in
company with the brethren, appointed by the bishop to be
their prior, and solemnly enthroned.* The king of England,
now, having settled the affairs of the kingdom to his wish,
crossed to Normandy on the 18th of August, and held a con-
ference with the king of France, at which the following
treaty was concluded : "I Louis king of France and I,
Henry king of England, hereby notify to all men, that we
have, by God's inspiration, promised and confirmed on oath,
to enter the service of our crucified Saviour, and, taking the
cross, to go to Jerusalem ; and that it is our wish to be
friends, and to maintain one another in life, limb, and worldly
honour against all men: and if any one shall presume to
injure either of us, I Henry, will assist Louis king of France,
as my lord, against all men ; and I Louis, will help Henry
king of England, as my faithful man, against all men, saving
the faith which we owe to our own men, as long as they
shall continue faithful to us." This took place at Minancourt
on the 25th of September.

Of the foundation of Westwood monastery.

a.d. 1178. Richard de Lucy, justiciary of England, on
the 11th of June, laid the foundations of a conventual
church in honour of St. Thomas the martyr, at a place called
Westwood, f in the territory of Rochester. Also, king

* Matthew Paris adds the following: — "In the same year, too, Philip
count of Flanders and William de Magnaville set out for Jerusalem. The
emperor Frederic did homage to pope Alexander; for he heard that when
that pontiff was flying from the persecution of the emperor, and the
journey by land was unsafe for him, he took ship, and a storm having
arisen, he put on all the papal decorations, as if he was going to celebrate
mass, and standing up on board, he commanded the sea and winds, like
Jesus Christ, whose vicar he said he was, and there was a calm immediately.
On hearing this, the emperor was astounded, and by humiliating himself,
appeased the pope, more, however, through fear of God than man; and
thus the quarrel ended."

f Called also Lesnes abbey.

A.D. 1178.] REVELATION CONCERNING ST. AMPHIBALUS. 37

Henry, having now secured the fortresses throughout all his
dominions, from the Pyrenees to the British ocean, and
settling everything to his wish, on the 13th of June visited
the tomb of St. Thomas the martyr, and shortly after, on the
6th of August, at Woodstock, made his son Geoffrey a
belted knight.

Of the revelation made to a certain man concerning St. Amphibalus.

The same year there was a certain man who lived at his
native town, St. Alban's, and enjoyed a character free
from reproach among his countrymen. From his youth up
to the present time, he lived honestly, as far as the mediocrity
of his fortune allowed, and was a devout attendant at the
church. Whilst this man lay in bed one night, about the
time of cock-crowing, a man of tall and majestic mien
entered his apartment, clad in white, and holding in his hand
a beautiful wand. The whole house shone at his entrance,
and the chamber was as light as at noon-day. Approaching
the bed, he asked in a gentle voice, "Robert, are you
asleep ?" Robert, trembling with fear and wonder, replied,
"Who art thou, lord ?" " I am," said he, "the martyr St.
Alban, and am come to tell you the Lord's will concerning
my master, the clerk, who taught me the faith of Christ, for,
though his fame is so great among mankind, the place of his
sepulture is still unknown, though it is the belief of the
faithful that it will be revealed to future ages. Rise there-
fore, with speed, put on your clothes and follow me, and I
will show you the spot where his precious remains are
buried." Robert, therefore, rising from his bed, as it
seemed, followed him, and they went together through the
public streets towards the north, until they came to a plain
which had lain for ages uncultivated near the high road.*

* Matthew Paris adds the following : — " On their way they conversed
with one another, as is the custom amongst friends travelling together, at
one time of the walls of the ruined city, at another of the decrease of the
river, of the common street adjoining the city ; then the discourse turned
to the arrival in the city of the blessed Amphibalus, their master ; his
departure to be lamented by them, and of the passion of both. And
whatever questions Robert wished to ask, the martyr readily answered
them. It happened that as they were conversing they were met by some
traders of Dunstable, who were hastening to be in the market at the town
of St. Alban's on the morrow, to transact some business there; and the
martyr having foretold their approach, said, " Let us turn aside for a little,

38 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1178.

Its surface was level, furnishing an agreeable pasturage for
cattle, and resting place for weary travellers, at a village
called Redburn, about three miles from St. Alban's. In
this plain were two eminences, called the " Hills of the
banners," because there used to be assemblies of the faithful
people held round them, when, according to an ancient
custom, they yearly made a solemn procession to the church
of St. Alban, and offered prayers. Here St. Alban turned a
little out of the way, and seizing the man's hand, led him to
one of the mounds, which contained the sepulchre of the
blessed martyr. " Here," said he, turning to his follower,
"lie the remains of my master;" and then, opening the
ground a little, in the shape of a cross with the man's
thumb, and turning up a portion of the turf, he opened a
small chest, from which a brilliant light came forth, and
filled first the whole of the west, and then the whole
world with its rays, after which the chest again closed, and
the plain was restored to its former appearance. The man was
astonished, and asked the saint what he should do. " Notice
the spot carefully," said the saint, " and remember what I
have shown you. The time shall soon come when the in-
formation which I have privately given to you shall turn out
to the benefit of many. Rise now," continued he, " let us
be going, and return to the place whence we came." As
they were on their way home, the saint entered his own
church, and the man, returning to his house, went to bed
again.

Hoiv the man disclosed the vision which he had seen.

In the morning the man awoke, and was much disturbed
in mind, doubting whether or not he should disclose to others
what he had seen in the vision, or, as he rather believed, in

till those who are approaching shall pass, that they may not delay our
journey by asking questions ;" for the road shone from his presence ; and
this came to pass. When they had got about half way on their journey,
at a place where two trees had been thrown down, the martyr said, " To
this place I brought my master, the blessed Amphibalus, when, for the last
time during his life on earth, we conversed together, weeping, as we were
then on the point of separating from one another." And if the shining
light which proceeded from the martyr had not dazzled the sight of
Robert, and Robert himself had not been restrained by fear and by his
simplicity, the saint would have informed him of many other things past
and future.

A.D. 1178.] MIRACLES AT THE MARTYRS' TOMB. 39

reality: for he feared lest he should offend God if he con-
cealed it, and incur the ridicule of mankind if he told it.
In this state of doubt the fear of God prevailed ; and,
although he did not proclaim it publicly, yet he communicated
it to his domestics and private friends. They, however, at
once published in open day what had been told them in the
darkness, and what they had heard in the ear they pro-
claimed upon the house-tops. Thus the story was spread
throughout the whole province, so that the inhabitants
thronged the cloister of St. Alban's monastery. At last
the happy report reached Simon, the abbat, by whose in-
fluence, next to God^ it acquired great importance. He im-
mediately gave praise and thanks to God, and having held a
council of the brethren, chose some of them to proceed to
the spot, to which the man above mentioned should guide
them. Meantime, the whole convent at home prayed de-
voutly to God; while the brethren, appointed for the pur-
pose, proceeded to the spot where they hoped to find the
relics of the martyr. When they reached the spot,
they found there a large multitude, who had met to-
gether from divers parts of the country, led by the Holy
Spirit, to witness the discovery of the martyr's relics.
Whilst they all waited for the event, the man aforesaid led
the brethren to the plain where the bodies of the saints lay.
It was the Friday before the feast of St. Alban's when this
was done. From that day, until the bodies of the saints
were removed, there was always a watch kept over that
spot, the brethren of the abbey assisting the laity in this duty.
Meanwhile, the convent entered upon a stricter rule of
life, and proclaimed to the people a solemn occasion for
prayer and fasting. This place, in which the relics were
hereafter to be found, now bore the appearance of a market,
and when one party, who from devotion visited the spot,
left it, another party arrived.

Of two women who were cured by visiting the saint.

Signs of well-attested miracles began now to be exhibited,
whilst the martyrs were still beneath the ground, giving
hopes of the greater works which they would do hereafter.
For a woman of Gatesden, who had been bound ten years
with a weakness of the shoulders and loins, and had been on

40 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1178.

account of her infirmity, an object of dislike to her husband,
left her native place, and passing through Redburn, lay down
to sleep near the place where the martyrs were buried, nor
did she rise from thence until she was wholly cured. Another
woman of Dunstable, named Cecilia, had the dropsy, which
gave her the appearance of being pregnant, and she also was
restored to health by a visit to the spot. Also, a girl, five
years old, who had never walked since her birth, but was
always carried by her parents, was placed near the same
spot, in the sight of many faithful witnesses, and after a
short sleep, rose up and ran upon her feet, to the great joy
of her parents. Meanwhile, the day of St. Alban's martyr-
dom arrived, and, famous as is that day in itself, it was
made still more so, by the publication of these miracles.
The faithful were admonished to give alms more largely, to
use abstinence in diet, and the solemn procession was re-
peated the next day. But the days which still intervened,
did not pass in idle talk, for up to the very hour of the
discovery of the relics, evident miracles were performed. A
man of Kingsbury laughed at those who were digging for
saints, and coming with the rest to the spot, though with
very different thoughts from theirs, he was immediately
seized with madness, tore his clothes, and instead of de-
riding the diggers, became now a spectacle to them. When
he had been tormented some time in the sight of all who
were present, the hand of God ceased to punish him, and he
returned safe, though chastened, to his home. Another man
also laughed at them for digging for saints, and was also
struck with the divine vengeance, for in the midst of speak-
ing he was violently seized, and breathed out on the spot
his blaspheming spirit. One Algar of Dunstable came to
the spot with a cart, in which was a cask of ale for sale :
a poor sick man came up to him and begged of him, for the
love of the martyr, to give him a small draught to quench
his thirst. Algar, incensed at his request, said he had not
come there out of regard to the martyr, but to make profit
by the sale of his goods. Whilst he was thus abusing the
poor man, both ends of his cask fell out, the beer ran upon
the ground, and by the saint's interference, not only the poor
man who had been denied the least drop of it, but also many
others with him, falling upon their knees, drank as much as

A. D. 1178.] BODIES OF MARTYRS FOUND. 41

they pleased, for no one prevented them. Thus, by the
martyr's agency, the wickedness of the perverse was re-
pressed, and the devotion of the faithful met with its reward ;
for during the three following days, ten persons of both
sexes were cured of different diseases, to the praise of God
and of his holy martyr.

The discovery of St. Amphibalus and his nine companions.

On the morning of the day when the bodies of the saints
were found, the venerable father, abbat Simon, approached
the holy spot, and having celebrated the mystery of our
redemption in the neighbouring chapel of St. James, in
respect to the martyr St. Alban, he commanded the monks
who were present to search with still greater diligence and
to put on more diggers immediately. The chapel of
St. James had been built in honour of the martyr, in con-
sequence of certain rays of light which always fell on the
flocks whenever the shepherds drove them to pasture on that
spot; wherefore, also, the aforesaid abbat celebrated mass
there, and implored the martyr's aid to bless their search.
When the abbat and brethren had returned to the abbey, and
were seated at dinner, one of them read aloud the passion of
the saint for whom they were digging and of his companions,
by which when they were released from the flesh they entered
into everlasting glory. Whilst, therefore, the convent in
tears were intent on hearing the cruelty of the judge, the
ferocity of his lictors, the patience of the martyrs, and the
lengthened details of their death, some one suddenly entered
the room and announced that they had just discovered the
bodies of Amphibalus and three others. Why should I relate
the effect of this intelligence ? their sighs were changed to
thanksgiving, and joy succeeded to sorrow. Kising from table,
they all proceeded to the church, and offered up praises to
attest the joy which filled their hearts. The holy martyr
Amphibalus was lying between two of his companions, whilst
the third was found lying crossways in a place by itself.
They also found near the place six others of the martyrs,
making with St. Amphibalus himself, ten in all. Among
other reliques of this champion of Christ were found two
large knives, one in his skull and the other in his breast, con-
firming the account which was handed down from ancient

42 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1178.

times in the book of his martyrdom.* For, according to that
book, whilst the others perished by the sword, Amphibalus
himself was first embowelled, then pierced with lances and
knives, and finally stoned to death: for which cause, also,
none of his bones were found entire, though in all the corpses
of his companions not a bone was broken.

How the relics of St. Amphibalus were translated to St, Albarfs.

The abbat, as we have observed, hearing the happy news,
hastened with the prior and some of the brethren to the place,
and caused the relics thus dug up to be taken up and wrapped
in decent cloths. Then, apprehensive of injury from the pres-
sure of the multitude, who could not be kept off from the trea-
sure which they had found, he gave orders that the holy martyrs
should be carried to St. Alban's church, where they could be
better taken care of. Why need I say more ? The abbat
and brethren returned to the monastery, carrying with them
separately the bodies of the saints. The rest of the brother-
hood, who had remained behind, came out to meet them,
bearing with them the body of the blessed martyr St. Alban,
which, as his bearers can testify, though generally heavy,
was at present so light that it seemed rather to fly along than
to rest upon their shoulders. Thus martyr met martyr, the
disciple his master, receiving him publicly on his return, from
whom formerly he had been taught the true faith in a humble
cottage. We must not, however, pass over in silence a
miracle which God wrought in the elements when first these
holy relics met. For, whereas there had been a long drought,
which had dried up everything and reduced the farmers
almost to despair ; at this moment, though there was not a
cloud to be seen, so heavy a storm of rain came down, that
the earth was drenched and the hopes of a future harvest
were revived. St. Amphibalus and his companions were
found on Saturday the 25th of June, a.d. 1177, being the
886th year after his martyrdom. Wherever the holy relics
are placed, as well as on the spot where he was buried, to the
glory of God and of his martyr, the sick are cured of divers
diseases, the limbs of the paralytics recover their strength,
the mouths of the dumb are opened, sight is restored to the
blind, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and, what is still more

* This book is now most probably no longer in existence.

A.D. 1179.] KING HENRY'S TOURNAMENTS. 43

marvellous, those who are possessed with devils are released,
epileptics are cured, lepers cleansed, and the dead recalled to
life. If any one desires to read the miracles which the
divine clemency works by means of these his saints, let him
peruse the famous book of his miracles, for we now beg our
readers to pardon us for this digression and hasten on to
other subjects.*

How the young king Henry held tournaments.

a.d. 1179. Henry the young king, crossing into Gaul,
spent three years in conflicts and profuse expenditure.
Laying aside his royal dignity, and assuming the character of
a knight, he devoted himself to equestrian exercises and, carry-
ing off the victory in various encounters, spread his fame on
all sides around him. When his reputation was complete, he
returned to his father who received him with due honour.
The same year Louis, the king of France, determined to pay
a visit for prayer at the tomb of St. Thomas the martyr, and
for that purpose came to England where neither himself nor
any of his ancestors had ever yet been. He landed at Dover,
and was met, on the 22nd of August, by the king of England,
who showed both him and his attendants every possible mark
of respect: for the archbishop of Canterbury, with his
suffragans, earls, and barons, besides the clergy and people,
went in solemn precession to the church, in honour of so
great a king. No one knows how much gold and silver,
precious stones and plate, king Henry bestowed upon the
French nobility, and therefore no one can tell the same. The
king of France granted a hundred measures of wine, to be
delivered yearly at Paris, out of respect to the glorious
martyr, for the use of the convent of Canterbury : and king
Henry showed the French king and his attendants all the
wealth of his kingdom, which had been amassed by himself
and his ancestors ; but the French, careful lest they should
seem to have had another object than to see the blessed
martyr, restrained their hands from receiving gifts, and in
doing so, perhaps, endured a sort of mental martyrdom at
what they saw. Thus the king of France, when he had

* The whole legend of Amphibalus is a fable : there certainly was no such
person, and it may be doubted whether there was ever such a person ae
St. Alban ; or, if he existed, his history also is mostly a fable.

44 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1179.

spent three days in watching, fasting, and prayer at Canter-
bury, and received a few small presents from the king of
England, as tokens of his love, sailed back to France on the
26th of August. The same year, also, died Roger bishop of
Winchester, on the 9th of August.

Of the council at Rome under pope Alexander.

The same year was held a general council at Rome, of
three hundred and ten bishops, on the 29th of March, in the
Lateran, at which pope Alexander the third presided. The
statutes then passed, which are worthy of universal praise, are
contained under twenty-eight heads, as follows : — Of the elec-
tion of the supreme pontiff : Of the heretical Albigenses, and
their different appellations : Of the routiers and plunderers
of Brabant, who harass the faithful : That no one shall be
advanced to a bishopric or any other ecclesiastical grade,
unless he is of lawful age and born in lawful wedlock : That
no benefices be given away whilst their incumbents are living,
nor be suffered to remain vacant more than six months after
the incumbents are dead : Of appeals : That no one in holy
orders, or who derives his maintenance from ecclesiastical
revenues, shall concern himself in secular business : Of fixing
the truces, and the times of fixing the same ; That clerks
shall have only one church, and that bishops, if they ordain
persons without a certain title, shall "maintain them until
they can appoint them to an office in some church : That
patrons and laymen shall not oppress churches or ecclesias-
tical persons : That Jews and Saracens shall not have Chris-
tians for slaves, but if they choose to be converted to
Christianity, they shall in no wise be taken from their
masters : That leprous persons, who are excluded from
society, shall have an oratory and priest of their own : That
ecclesiastical property shall not be turned to any other use,
nor deans exercise episcopal j urisdiction for a certain sum of
money : That in elections and ecclesiastical ordinations,
whatsoever shall be appointed by the senior part of the
council shall take effect : That manifest usurers shall not be
admitted to the communion at the altar, nor receive Christian
burial : That farmers and travellers, and all which they pos-
sess, shall enjoy general peace and security: That ordinations
made by schismatics shall be held as null and void, and all

A.D. 1179.] STATUTES PASSED AT ROME. 45

benefices bestowed by them be revoked : That no payment
be demanded for instituting ecclesiastical persons, burying the
dead, or pronouncing the blessing at marriages, or for the
other sacraments of the church : That no religious persons or
others presume to receive churches or tithes from lay hands
without the authority of the bishop ; nor the templars or hos-
pitallers open their churches, which have been laid under an
interdict, once a year, nor presume then to bury the dead :
That no one shall for money usurp a religious habit, nor
religious persons have property of their own, nor prelates be
degraded except for dilapidation or for incontinence: That
Christians shall not sell arms to Saracens, nor any one dare
to rob those who have been shipwrecked: That clerks in
holy orders shall live continently, and if they are found to
labour in that sort of continence which is contrary to nature,
they shall be excommunicated and expelled from the clergy :
That archbishops, visiting parishes or churches, shall be con-
tent with a retinue of forty or fifty horse ; bishops, of twenty
or thirty; legates, of twenty or five and twenty; arch-
deacons, of five or seven ; and deans, of not more than two :
That no one shall practise tournaments, and that those who
are killed in them shall be deprived of Christian burial:
That every cathedral church shall have a master, who shall
teach the poor scholars and others, and that none shall de-
mand pay for teaching : That prelates shall govern only one
church, and that patrons shall not exact money from the
churches or their lands: That bishops and ecclesiastical
persons shall not be compelled to appear at lay tribunals, and
that laymen shall not pay tithes to laymen : That, if any one
receives property from another as a security for a loan, and,
after deducting expenses, he has recovered his money out of
the produce of the property, he shall give back the security
to his debtor.

Pope Alexander's letter against the heresy of Peter Lombard.

The same pope Alexander was informed that master Peter
Lombard had in certain of his writings departed from the
articles of the faith ; wherefore he sent the following letter
to William archbishop of Sens. " Alexander, bishop, servant
of the servants of God, to William archbishop of Sens,
health; — When you were formerly in our presence, we en-

46 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1179.

joined you, by word of mouth, to convoke your suffragan
bishops at Paris, and use your best endeavours to destroy the
false doctrines of Peter, formerly bishop of Paris, by which it is
asserted that Christ, as far as he is human, is not any thing.
We therefore command you, my brother, by our apostolical
writings, as we before commanded you by word of mouth, to
assemble your bishops at Paris, and together with them and
other religious and prudent men, to abrogate altogether the
aforesaid doctrines, and to make masters teach their pupils in
theology, that as Christ is perfect God, so also he is perfect
man, consisting of a body and soul. You will strictly charge
all men by no means to presume again to teach the afore-
said false doctrine, but altogether to abominate it."

Of abbat Joachim's book, which he wrote against Peter Lombard.

In these days, also, Joachim abbat of Flore, wrote a book
against Peter Lombard, calling him a heretic and a madman,
for having said, in speaking of the unity or essence of the
Trinity, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are one
supreme essence, which neither begets, nor is begotten, one
proceeding. For this assertion, the abbat charged Peter
with holding not three persons in the Godhead, but four,
namely, the three persons usually received, and their com-
mon essence or a sort of fourth ; that it is no thing which
is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, neither essence,
nor substance, nor nature, although he admits that the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are one essence, one substance,
and one nature. And the same Joachim confirmed his posi-
tion by the authorities which follow : — " There are three
which bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost, and these three are one ; and there are three
which bear record on earth, the Spirit, the Water, and the
Blood, and these three are one.'' again, "I wish, Father,
that they should be one in us, even as we also are one."
Wherefore it appears that the aforesaid Joachim acknow-
ledges not a true and proper unity of this sort, but a sort of
collective unity, having the similitude of such, in the same
way as many men are called one people, and many believers
make one church.

A.D. 1179.] HERESY OF JOACHIM CONDEMNED. 47

How pope Innocent condemned Joachim's book.
This controversy remained undecided for many years, from
the days of pope Alexander to the time of pope Innocent,
during the papacy of Lucius, Urban, Gregory, Clement, and
Celestine: to whom succeeded Innocent the third, who, in
the year of our Lord 1215, held a general council at Rome,
and condemned Joachim's book against Peter in these terms :
u We, with the consent and approbation of this council, be-
lieve and confess with Peter that there is one supreme
substance, incomprehensible and unspeakable, which is truly
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being both three
persons collectively and also each of them separately ; and
therefore there are three not four persons in the Deity, for
each of those three persons is that thing, or substance, essence
or divine nature, which alone is the beginning of all things,
besides which no other can be found ; and that substance
neither begets nor is begotten, nor proceeding ; but it is the
Father who begets, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy
Spirit which proceeds, so that there are distinctions between
the persons, and unity in the nature. For although the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are different persons,
they are not different in substance : the Father, by begetting
the Son from eternity communicated to him his own sub-
stance, according to what He himself testifies : " That which
the Father hath given me is greater than all." Neither can
it be said that he gave the Son part of his substance and
retained the rest for himself, since the substance of the
Father is indivisible, and altogether simple ; neither can it
be said that the Father transferred his substance to the Son
by begetting him, that is, so gave it to the Son that he did
not retain it for himself, otherwise his substance would cease
to exist : but the Son by his birth received the entire sub-
stance of the Father, and so the Father and Son have the
same substance and are the same thing ; as well as the Holy
Spirit, which proceeds from both, and remains in both, for
the faithful servants of Christ are not, as the abbat Joachim
says, one substance common to all, but one only in unity of
charity, in grace; but in the same of the Divine persons,
there is unity of identity in their nature. We therefore con-
demn and reprobate the book and doctrines of Joachim, and
do command that, if any one shall presume to defend or

48 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1180,

approve of his opinions in this matter, he shall be held as
heretical by all men." Concerning this council and the pope
above mentioned, more will be said in its proper place.

How Philip was consecrated king of France.

The same year, Philip son of Louis king of France, was
crowned king on the festival of All Saints, at Rheims, by
William archbishop of that city : his father was still living,
and supplied all things required for the coronation. Also
Cadwallan, prince of Wales, was this year brought into the
presence of the king of England, where many charges were
laid against him. On his return to Wales, under the safe
conduct of the king, he was set upon by his enemies and
slain, on the 22nd of September, to the great scandal of the
king, though he was in no wise to blame ; for he commanded
the authors of the deed to be severely punished.

Of the league between the king of France and England,
a.d. 1180. A conference was held between Philip the
new king of France and king Henry, at a place between
Gisors and Trie, where the following treaty was concluded
between them : " I, Philip, by the grace of God king of
France, and I, Henry, by the same grace, king of England,
notify to all men that we have renewed on oath the alliance
and friendship between us ; and, to avoid all occasion of dis-
cord hereafter between us, we have agreed that neither shall
claim, against the other, any of the lands, possessions, and
other things which we now hold, except Auvergne, concerning
which there is now a dispute between us, and except the fee
of the castle of Ralph, and except the small fees and divisions
of our lands of Berri: concerning which, if we cannot come to
an agreement, we have each chosen three bishops and barons,
to decide between us, by whose decision we have agreed, in
good faith, to abide." The same year, also, died Louis king
of France, at Paris, on the 18th of September, and was buried
at the Cistercian abbey of Barbeaux ; the building of which
had been completed at the expense of the same king.

J low Richard count of Poictou grievously ravaged the lands of Geoffrey

de Liziniac.

About the same time, Richard duke of Aquitaine, and son
of king Henry, provoked by the pride of Geoffrey de Rancon,

A.D. 1180.] SIEGE OF TAILEBURG. 49

and by many injuries which he had received from him,
assembled his troops, and laid siege to Taileburg, one of his
castles, a bold enterprise, which none of his ancestors had
ever dared to undertake, for the castle was up to that time un-
known to its enemies, and was defended by three moats and
walls, besides arms of all kinds, bolts, and bars ; it was crowned
with turrets placed at intervals, and had a large quantity of
stones on its battlements, besides stores of provisions, and
numbers of knights and experienced soldiers; for which
reason it entertained no fear from duke Richard's approach.
He, however, invaded its territory with more than a lion's
fury, carried off the produce, cut down the vines, burned the
villages, and demolished every thing ; then fixing his tents
near the castle, he erected machines against the walls, and
created great alarm in the garrison, who had no suspicion
that any such things would happen. Inasmuch, however,
as it seemed somewhat ignominious, that such high-minded
and experienced soldiers should be cooped up within the
walls, they determined, by common consent, to make a sally
and attack the duke's army by surprise. This resolution
was bravely put in force, but the duke, summoning his men,
charged the enemy and compelled them to retire within their
walls. In their retreat, a fierce fight ensued, and the worth
of both horse and men, lance and sword, bow and cross-
bow, shield and mace, with every other kind of weapon or
defensive armour, were all tested in that encounter. Where-
fore the townspeople, unable any longer to endure the duke's
assaults, retreated within their walls, and the duke, urging
on the pursuit, entered with the fugitives : the streets were
filled with rapine and conflagration, for there was no way of
escape left for them. Some of the townspeople, favoured by
fortune, fled to the principal tower: the lord of the castle
was compelled to surrender, the fair walls were levelled with
the ground, and others of the revolted castles, within a month,
shared the same fate. When every thing was completed to
the duke's wish, he crossed into England, where he was
received with the greatest honours by king Henry his
father.*

* " A new coinage was made this year in England ; and John bishop of
Chichester died." — M. Paris.

VOL. II. E

50 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1181.

How Philip king of France submitted the disposition of his realm to the

king of England.

a.d. 1181. Some of the French king's ministers reminded
their master how peacefully the king of England governed his
extensive dominions, and kept them safe from those barbarous
nations the Scots and Welsh : wherefore, by the advice of his
household, the French king submitted his own kingdom, also,
and his own person to the disposition of the king of England,
who, influenced by this example, placed the whole of
Normandy under the control of the young king his son, and,
on the 25th of July, crossing to England made a visit, for the
purpose of prayer, to the tomb of St. Thomas the martyr.
The same year, on the 20th of November, died Roger arch-
bishop of York, who, during his life-time, had obtained a
privilege from pope Alexander, to the effect that if any clerk
under his jurisdiction should on his death-bed make a will
and die without having distributed his property with his own
hands, the archbishop should take possession of the goods of
the deceased. Now, as every one ought to abide by the laws
which he has laid down for others, when the archbishop
died, all his treasures, by the just judgment of God, were
confiscated, amounting to eleven thousand pounds of silver,
three hundred pieces of gold, one golden cup, seven silver
cups, nine silver goblets, three silver salts, three cups of
myrrh, forty spoons, eight silver porringers, one silver basin,
and a great silver dish.

Pope Alexander s letter to Prester* John king of the Indies,

About this time pope Alexander wrote to Prester John
king of the Indies, as follows : — " Alexander, bishop, to his
beloved son in Christ, health and apostolical benediction. We
had heard, long ago, by the relation of many, what diligence
you show in the performance of pious works, since you have
embraced the Christian religion ; but our beloved son, Philip
the physician, who says that he has conversed with the great
and honourable men of your kingdom concerning your inten-
tions and plans, has constantly, with his usual discretion,
signified to us that you wish to be instructed in the catholic
and apostolic doctrine, and that it is your fervent desire, on

* Properly Presbyter John ; but, as he is usually known by the name of
Prester John, I have retained that appellation.

A.D. 1182.] DEATH OF POPE ALEXANDER. 51

the part of both your people and yourself, to hold nothing
which may appear to differ from the doctrines of the apostolic
see. To which must be added the highest merit, as the
aforesaid Philip says he has heard from your own people, that
you desire to have a church in the city of Jerusalem and an
altar, where religious and prudent men of your kingdom
might remain and be more fully instructed in apostolic dis-
cipline, by whom also you and your people might the more
easily receive and hold their Christian doctrines. We, there*
fore, wishing to reclaim you from those articles in which you
deviate from the Christian faith, have sent the aforesaid
Philip to your highness, through whom you may be instructed
in the articles of the Christian faith, wherein you and yours
seem to differ from us, and so may have no cause to fear that
anything will spring out of your error to impede the salva-
tion of you or yours, or in any way to cast a stigma on your
profession of Christianity."

How Lucius succeeded to pope Alexander,

The same year died pope Alexander, after he had sat
twenty-two years in the Roman see. He was succeeded by
Humbald bishop of Ostia, who took the name of Lucius the
third, and sat four years in the apostolic church. Also
Philip king of France married Margaret daughter of Baldwin
count of Hainault, by Margaret, sister of Philip count of
Flanders. The same year, also, the old coinage was abro-
gated, and a new coinage issued on the feast of St. Martin's.
The same year, Baldwin abbat of Ford, a Cistercian monas-
tery, succeeded to Roger as bishop of Winchester.

How Geoffrey bishop elect of Lincoln declined the election,

a.d. 1182. Geoffrey elect of Lincoln, and son of the king
of England, after his election had been confirmed by the
pope, and he had ruled that same church peaceably during
seven years, on the day of the Epiphany at Marlborough, in
presence of the king and the bishops, renounced his election,
though no one compelled him to do so. At the same time,
Henry, in presence of the nobles of the kingdom, at Waltham,
liberally granted two thousand marks of silver and five
hundred marks of gold to assist the Holy Land, after which he
crossed into Normandy. In these days, Henry duke of

52 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1183.

Saxony, the king's son-in-law, had been exiled by the
emperor, and came to the king in Normandy, bringing with
him the duchess and his two sons Henry and Otho ; he was
there supplied three years by the king's munificence with all
things necessary in the greatest abundance. The same year,
also, Walter de Constantiis archdeacon of Oxford, was con-
secrated bishop of Lincoln by Richard archbishop of Canter-
bury, at Anjou, in the church of St. Laud. Also, Walter
bishop of Rochester died this year.

Of the death of abbat Simon, and the accession of Warin.

a.d. 1183. Died Simon abbat of St. Alban's, and was
succeeded by Warin prior of the same church, and on the
day of the nativity of the mother of God, received the
blessing as abbat.

Of the death of Henry the young king.

About this time king Henry endeavoured to make his sons
Geoffrey and Richard do homage to the young king his eldest
son, for Brittany and the duchy of Aquitaine. To this wish
Geoffrey readily acceded, and did homage for the earldom of
Brittany ; but Richard no sooner heard his father's request
than he was violently angry, saying it was unreasonable,
whilst their father was alive, that they should subject them-
selves to their elder brother, who was born of the same father
and mother as themselves, that, as the eldest brother would
claim the father's inheritance, so he, Richard, would justly
claim the succession to his mother's property. King Henry
was much displeased at this conduct, and earnestly enjoined
the young king his son to do Ins utmost to check his brother's
pride. When they had frequently met for this purpose, and
there appeared no hopes of peace, the young king assembled
a large army, and determined to fight his brother, but his life
was suddenly cut off like a thread, and with him were cut off
the hopes of many ; for in the flower of his youth, when he
had just completed his twenty-eighth year, he died in that part
of Gascony which is called Turonia, at the castle of Martel,
on the feast of St. Barnabas the apostle, and his body,
wrapped in the linen garments, which he wore anointed with
the chrism at his coronation, was carried to Rouen, where it
was buried near the high altar in the cathedral with the

A.D. 1184.] SARACENS DEFEATED BY THE CHRISTIANS. 53

honour due to so great a prince. The same year Girard,
surnamed la Pucelle, having been consecrated to the see of
Coventry, died after he had been bishop ten weeks. Also
Walter de Coutance bishop of Lincoln, came into England,
and was solemnly enthroned in his see.

a.d. 1184. Richard archbishop of Canterbury, died at
Allingham, a village belonging to the bishop of Rochester ;
and king Henry escorted the duke of Saxony with his family
to England, where the duchess a few days afterwards gave
birth to a son named William, at Winchester. The same
year, Baldwin bishop of Worcester was elected archbishop of
Canterbury, and Walter of Lincoln was elected to the arch-
bishopric of Rouen. Both these prelates received the pall,
and were solemnly enthroned in their sees. At this time
Philip archbishop of Cologne, and Philip count of Flanders,
came into England to discharge their vows to the blessed
martyr St. Thomas. King Henry went out to meet them,
and invited them to pay a visit to London the royal city.
When they arrived in London, that capital presented such a
festive appearance as had never been seen before, and all its
streets sounded with mirth and revelry. The archbishop of
Cologne and the count of Flanders were received in solemn
procession at St. Paul's church, and the same day similar
honours were paid to them ; after which they were enter-
tained during five days in the palace at the king's expense ;
but whether they carried home many presents with them or
not, it seems superfluous to inquire. The same year died
Joceline bishop of Salisbury.

How the Saracens attacked the Christians in Spain, but retreated in

confusion.

In these days, about the feast of St. John the Baptist,
Gamius king of the Saracens in Spain, conducted the king of
kings of the Saracens named Macemunt, at the head of thirty-
seven other kings, into the territories of the Christians.
They first besieged St. Irenaeus and after a fight of three
days and three nights made a breach in the walls and entered
the town : but the garrison escaped into the citadel. The
following night the bishop of Portugal with the king's son
came upon the Saracens and slew king Gamius, with fifteen
thousand of his men, whose bodies they piled up in place of

.54 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1184.

the walls which had been broken down. The next day,
being the festival of St. John and St. Paul,* the archbishop
of St. Iago assembled twenty thousand men, and at dawn of
day slew thirty thousand Saracens. On the following day,
which was the feast of St. Margaret's, the Saracens destroyed
at Alcubaz ten thousand women and infants ; but those who
were in the town of Alcubaz sallied out and slew three kings
with all their army. Afterwards, on the eve of St. James's,
king Macemunt heard that the king of Gallicia was come to
fight him in single combat ; and when he wished to mount
his horse, he fell off three times and died; upon which all his
army fled, leaving behind them all their money. The king
of Portugal gave some of the Saracen prisoners as slaves to
serve the masons in rebuilding the churches, and with the
money he made a golden shrine for St. Vincent. Afterwards
came numerous galleys of the Saracens to Lisbon, bringing
with them a dromund, in which there was a machine of such
a nature that the Saracens could issue forth upon it in arms
beyond the city walls and again return. By God's providence,
however, some one dived into the water under the vessel, and
bored a hole in her bottom, which caused her to sink. The
Saracens, perceiving that they were baffled, took to flight,
leaving behind them all their baggage.

How Guy de Lusignan was made protector of the kingdom of Jerusalem.

In these days reigned at Jerusalem Baldwin, son of king
Amalric. From the very beginning of his reign he was
afflicted with elephantiasis, which had already deprived him
of sight, and of the. use of his feet and hands. But, not-
withstanding his weakness of body, he was strong in mind,
and endeavoured, even beyond his strength, to discharge his
royal duties. To this end he convoked the nobles of his
kingdom, and in presence of his mother and the patriarch,
he appointed Guy of Lusignan, count of Joppa and Ascalon,
to be regent of the kingdom. This Guy had married the
king's sister Sibylla, formerly wife of the marquis of Mont-
ferrat, by whom she had Baldwin ; but when he had been
some time regent, and the kingdom of Jerusalem did not
prosper, the king removed Guy, and appointed Raymund
count of Tripoli in his place.

* The 26th of June.

A.D. 1184.] SALADIN RAVAGES SEVERAL CITIES. 55

How Saladin the sultan of Babylon, destroyed several cities of the

Christians.

At this time, Saladin sultan of Damascus had subdued all
the Saracenic kings throughout the east, so that he might
truly be called king of kings and lord of lords, and now
purposing to subdue all Christendom also, he passed the
river Jordan at the beginning of July, and foraged for pro-
visions the country round the castle of Crach, formerly called
Petra in the desert. He then passed on to the town of
Neapolis, which he plundered, and afterwards burned. At
Sebastsea, the bishop ransomed the city and church by
giving up to him eighty captives ; and Saladin, proceeding
into Arabia, devastated that country, and carried off both
men and women for slaves. From thence he proceeded to
the castle of Great Gerin, which he destroyed, and, except
a few whom he made prisoners, he slew both men and women.
Little Gerin, a village belonging to the temple, shared the
same fate, after which the Saracenic army retired by way of
Belvere, a castle belonging to the temple, slaying some of the
people, and carrying off the others as captives.

The king of England elected king of Jerusalem.

Baldwin, the leprous king of Jerusalem, being at last
dead, Baldwin, a boy of five years old, reigned in his place.
He was nephew to the late king, by Sibylla his sister, and
William marquis of Montferrat, and immediately after his
coronation was placed under the tuition of Raymund count of
Tripoli s. But the clergy and people, seeing the kingdom now
reduced to a state which could not long be maintained, began
seriously to consider what steps were to be taken ; and, as
they entertained suspicions that Saladin would not long
remain inactive, and had little to hope from the tender years
of the king, they all agreed to send ambassadors to Henry
king of England, and offer to him the kingdom of Jerusalem,
with the keys of the holy city and of our Lord's tomb.
Heraclius the patriarch, at their request, undertook this
embassy, and in company with the master of the temple and
some others, crossed the Mediterranean sea, and arriving at
Rome, obtained letters from pope Lucius, praying the king
of England to grant their request.

56 ItOCxER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1185.

Heraclius the patriarch comes to England, and notifies to king Henry his

election.

a.d. 1185. Heraclius patriarch of the holy resurrection,
and the lord Roger master of the hospital of Jerusalem,
came to king Henry at Reading, and delivering to him the
pope's letter, explained the object of their journey, and the
desolate condition of the city and whole country of Jeru-
salem. The recital moved the king and all the assembly to
tears ; for their petition took notice of our Lord's nativity,
his passion, resurrection, the tower of David, the keys of the
holy sepulchre, and the banner of the kingdom, all of which
the king respected beyond measure. The pope's letter,
among other subjects, contained the following :

The letter of pope Lucius to the king of England.

"Lucius, bishop, servant of the servants of God, fyc.
Whereas all your predecessors have been famous, above all
the other princes of the world, for valour in arms and
nobility of mind, and the people of the faithful have been
taught to look on them as patrons in their adversity, it is
not without propriety that application is made to you, who
inherit all your father's virtues as well as his kingdom, at a
moment when not only danger but even imminent destruction
hangs over the Christian people ; to the end that your royal
power may protect the members of that Christ, who has
mercifully allowed you to reach your present height of
glory, and made you a wall of defence against those who
wickedly assail his name. Be it known, moreover, to your
highness, that Saladin, the wicked persecutor of the holy
name of the Crucified, has now prevailed to such an extent
in his fury against the Christians of the Holy Land, that,
unless his fierce rage is checked, he already confidently
looks forward to the whole of Jordan flowing into his
mouth," &c.

King Henry refuses the kingdom of Jerusalem.

The king of England having received this communication,
convoked the clergy, people, and nobility of his dominions,
on the 18th of March, at Clerkenwell, in London, where the
king in the audience of the patriarch and master of the
hospital, solemnly adjured all his faithful servants to make
public whatever should seem to them to tend to the salvation

A.D. 1186.] HUGH DE LACY SLAIN. 57

of his soul in connexion with the subject before them, adding
that he was strongly disposed in his own mind to abide by
the advice which they should offer. The whole council
then, considering on what they had just heard, deemed it
more sound and salutary to the king's soul that he should
govern his whole kingdom with proper moderation, and
defend it from the irruption of the barbarians, than attend in
his own person to the welfare of the people of the east ; but
they did not deem it meet to come to any decision respecting
the king's sons, who were absent, one of whom the patriarch
requested might be sent to Jerusalem, if the king should
decline to go himself.

The same year also, John, the king's son, was made a belted
knight by his father at Windsor, on the last day of March,
after which he crossed into Ireland. The king and the
patriarch then sailed over to Normandy, and celebrated
Easter at Rouen. The king of France hearing of the arrival
of the king of England, came with all speed to Vaudreuil,
where the two kings passed three days in familiar converse,
and many noblemen took the cross in their presence, but the
kings themselves only promised that they would both send
speedy help to the Holy Land, for they did not think it an
easy matter to carry on so important an enterprise from the
remote bounds of the west ; and the patriarchy disappointed
in the object of his commission, and with baffled hopes,
returned to his own country.

The same year, Hugh de Lacy, lord of the province called
Media,* was slain on the 25th of July. At the same time,
the earl of Huntingdon having died without children, the
king gave that earldom with its purtenances to William
king of Scotland. Also, Gilbert de Glanville archdeacon of
Lisieux was consecrated bishop of Rochester on the 29th of
September,! and Henry duke of Saxony, with the emperor's
permission, returned home and contented himself with his
own paternal inheritance.

Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury receives the pall and the legatine

authority.

a.d. 1186. Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury received

* Meath, in Ireland,
f " The same year died pope Lucius, and, according to some accounts,
was succeeded by Urban." — M. Paris.

58 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1186.

the pall, with the legatine commission, in the province over
which he presided. Also, William de Vere, on the festival
of St. Lawrence, was consecrated bishop of Hereford. The
same year Geoffrey count of Brittany, and son of the king
of England, died on the 19th of August, and was buried at
Paris, in the church of Notre Dame, in the choir of the canons.
He left two daughters, by his wife Constance, the daughter
of Con an formerly count of Brittany, and his wife, after his
death, gave birth to a son, called Arthur. The same year.
Hugh of Burgundy, and prior of the Carthusian order in
England, was consecrated bishop of Lincoln on the feast of
St. Matthew ; upon which day, also, William de Norhale was
consecrated bishop of Worcester. Pope Lucius died, and
was succeeded by Urban, and John precentor of Exeter was
consecrated bishop of that church.

Pope Urban grants permission to Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury to
build a church at Akington.

About the same time, pope Urban wrote to Baldwin arch-
bishop of Canterbury as follows : " We notify to you by
these presents, that you have leave to build a church in
honour of the blessed martyrs Stephen and Thomas, and to
provide proper persons to be attached to it, to whom you
shall assign benefices for their maintenance, according as
you shall appoint : also, that of all oblations which are made
at the relics of St. Thomas the martyr, one-fourth part shall
be devoted to the use of the monks, one-fourth to the fabric
of the church, one-fourth to the poor, and the remaining fourth
to such uses as you shall think proper.*

Sibylla is crowned queen of Jerusalem,

About this time, Baldwin the young king of Jerusalem
died, and there was no one to succeed him on the throne,
except Sibylla, wife of Guy count of Joppa, sister of the
leprous king, and mother of the boy-king, just deceased ;

* " About this time died that most illustrious of ladies, the empress
Matilda, daughter of king Henry the First, wife of the Roman emperor
Henry and mother of Henry the Second, the greatest of the English
kings. Hence that epitaph which was written on her: —

Great was her birth, her husband greater, greatest was her son,
Here lieth Henry s daughter, wife, and mother, all in one !"

A.D. 1180.] SYBIL QUEEN OF JERUSALEM. 59

but as the truce between Saladin and the Christians was
just upon the point of expiring, the protection of the king-
dom was in a critical state, which would brook no longer of
delay. A council of the nobles was therefore held, and it
was agreed that Sibylla, wife of Guy, as heiress of the king-
dom, should be crowned queen, and repudiate Guy, as
unequal to the government. Sibylla, rejected the sovereignty
on these terms, until the nobles, in granting it to her, bound
themselves by oath to obey as king the man whom she
should choose as her husband. Guy also himself entreated
her not to neglect the care of the kingdom on his account.
Thus, after some delay- Sibylla acquiesced in tears, and being
solemnly crowned queen, received the homage of all the
people, whilst Guy her husband, deprived at the same
moment of his bride and his crown, returned to his own
people. Meanwhile, a report was spread, and soon confirmed
by facts, of the hostile approach of Saladin ; upon which
the queen, convoking her ecclesiastic and temporal nobles,
deliberated with them about choosing a king ; and, whereas
they had all previously allowed her to choose whomsoever she
pleased, and now anxiously looked to the choice which she
should make, she said to Guy, who was standing by among
the others, " My lord Guy, I choose you for my husband,
and ghe up myself and my kingdom to you as the future
king." All were astonished at her words, and wondered
that so simple a woman had baffled so many wise councillors.
Her conduct was in fact worthy of great praise, both in
point of modesty and discretion ; for she saved the crown for
her husband, and her husband for herself. About this time,
there happened so dreadful an earthquake, that even in
England, where such things rarely occur, several houses
were thrown down. Also, the mother of Saladin, on her
way from Egypt to Damascus with a large and splendid
retinue, passed through the Christian territories which lie
on the other side of Jordan, trusting to the truce; but
Reginald de Castiglione, assaulting the company, carried off
all their valuables, but Saladin's mother saved herself by
flight. Saladin, aroused by this injury, demanded restitution
and satisfaction, according to the terms of the treaty, and
Reginald, when called upon to give it, returned a harsh and
insulting reply. Upon this, Saladin rejoiced beyond measure

60 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1187.

that the Christians had first infringed the treaty, and pre-
pared himself for war and for revenge.*

Saladin lays waste the Holy Land.
A. D. 1187. Saladin, inflamed with anger against the
Christians, summoned the Parthians, Bedouins, Turks,
Saracens, Arabs, Medes, Curds, and Egyptians, and at the
head of these nations invaded and laid waste all the Holy
Land. Not content with occupying some minor fortresses
in Galilee, he prepared to besiege mount Calvary ; and
proceeding thither with a variety of warlike engines, he, on
his way, defeated a large body of Christians, slew the grand
master of the temple and sixty of the brethren, and elated
with this success, pressed forwards to the siege. When the
king of Jerusalem heard that the city was besieged, and the
inhabitants hard-pressed, he summoned by proclamation all
the strength of his kingdom, leaving none but those who
were incapacitated for battle, by their age or sex, to garrison
the fortresses. The rendezvous was the fountain of Sephor,
and, when they marched thence, they amounted to twenty
thousand warriors. Raymund count of Tripolis was ap-
pointed their commander-in-chief ; and they set out towards
Tiberias, and when the fatal day of battle approached, the
king's chamberlain dreamed that an eagle flew over the
Christian camp, bearing in his talons seven missiles, and
crying aloud, " Woe to you of Jerusalem ! woe to you of
Jerusalem !" In explanation of this vision, it is sufficient to
remember the words which the Holy Spirit spake by the
prophet, " The Lord hath bent his bow, and in it hath pre-
pared the vessels of death."

Saladin takes the city of Jerusalem, and the king's person.
Saladin hearing that the king was approaching to raise the
siege, bravely marched to meet them, and perceiving that the
Christians were hemmed in by the narrow and precipitous
rocks, not far from Tiberias, at a place called Mareschallia, he
rushed with confidence of success upon the king's army, who
nevertheless received them bravely as well as the nature of
the ground would permit. The battle raged with fury, and

* Matthew Paris adds that, " the kings of France and England took the
cross on the 20th of January ; and that the city and cathedral of Chichester
were burned on the 19th of October."

A.D.1186.] SALADIN TAKES THE HOLT CITY. 61

numbers fell on both sides ; but, at length, for the sins of the
Christians, the enemy prevailed; for, as they say, the count of
Tripolis, who commanded the army, treacherously lowered his
banner, and caused his men to think of flying, though they had
no way of escape, except through the enemy. King Guy was
made prisoner, the holy cross captured, and the whole army
either slain with the sword or taken by the enemy, except
the count of Tripoli who was suspected of having betrayed
them, the lord Reginald governor of Sidon, and the lord
Balian with a few brethren of the temple. This disastrous
battle was fought on the 3rd and 4th days of July, within the
octaves of the apostles Paul and Peter. The master of the
temple also, named Theodoric, escaped from this disaster, but
with the loss of two hundred and thirty of the brethren. The
count of Tripoli having escaped without a wound was
assumed as a proof of his having betrayed the army.
Together with the holy cross, the bishop of Acre, and
the precentor of our Lord's sepulchre, were overpowered by
the enemy : the former was slain, and the latter made prisoner :
and in this manner the holy cross, which formerly redeemed
us from the yoke of captivity, was now made captive for our
sins, and profaned by the hands of the infidels.

How the holy city and almost all the kingdom was subdued by Saladin.

Saladin, having obtained this victory, returned to Tiberias,
and when he had reduced the only fortress which remained,
he sent the king and his prisoners to Damascus. Then
entering Galilee he found no one to oppose him, and coming
to Ptolemais took it without bloodshed. From thence he
proceeded to Jerusalem, and planted his machines on all sides
round the walls : the citizens erected such defences as they
were able, but their bows, cross-bows, and stone-engines
were plied in vain : the people, in terror, flocked round the
patriarch and the queen, who at that time governed the city,
and entreated that terms might be entered into with Saladin
for a surrender. A capitulation was in consequence effected,
more worthy to be lamented than to be described ; that every
man should pay a ransom of ten bezants, a woman ^ve, and a
child one ; but in the whole city there were fourteen thousand
of both sexes, who, being unable to pay this ransom, were
reduced to perpetual slavery. Thus the holy city was

62 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1186.

surrendered to the enemies of Christ : the sepulchre fell into
the hands of those who persecuted Him that was buried
therein, and those who blaspheme the Crucified are in posses-
sion of His cross ! Saladin entered the city with the sound of
timbrels and trumpets, and hastening to the temple removed
the cross erected there, and all the other objects which
Christians held in veneration. He then caused the temple to
be sprinkled within and without with rose-water, and the
superstitions which belong to his religion to be proclaimed in
all its four corners ; the church of the resurrection and the
tomb of our Lord was let to certain Syrians at a stipulated
tribute ; after which Saladin sallied forth and reduced all the
other cities and towns except Ascalon, Tyre, and Crach
beyond Jordan, otherwise called Mount Royal.

The pope forbids the building of Akington church.

The same year pope Urban wrote to Baldwin archbishop of
Canterbury in these terms : — " Our dear sons, the prior and
convent of your church, have sent us messengers bearing
letters on the subject of the church which you have begun to
build, stating that unless the work is discontinued, the credit
and condition of their own church will be much impaired :
we therefore wishing to make careful provision that no dis-
cord may arise between you and your brethren, since you
cannot properly attend to your sacred duties when quarrelling
amongst yourselves, by the advice of our brethren, warn and
strictly enjoin your brotherhood, that, until from known
reasons we determine what ought to be done in the matter,
you put off all occasion of appeal, and desist from building
that church, until letters be granted from the apostolic see
not opposing it." In the same year pope Urban dying,
Gregory succeeded him, and he also after holding the see
two months, died, and Clement the third was appointed on
the 20th of December. In this year, too, Gilbert bishop of
London paid the debt of nature. In the same year Richard
count of Poictou, hearing of the disaster in the Holy Land
and the capture of the cross, without waiting for any one's
proposing it, and against the advice and will of his father, was
the first of the transmarine nobles who took the sign of the
cross, which he received at the hands of the archbishop of
Tours.

A.D. 1188.] WEARING OP THE CROSS. 63

How at the preaching of the crusade many took the cross.

a.d. 1188. Frederic the Roman emperor took the cross on
the preaching of Henry bishop of Alba, a legate of the
apostolic see, who had been sent by pope Clement, and at the
same time Philip king of the French and Henry king of the
English came to a conference in Normandy, betwen Trie and
Gisors, for the purpose of rendering assistance to the Holy
Land, where, after long deliberations, they in the presence of
Philip count of Flanders mutually agreed to take the sign of
the cross, and to hasten their journey in company to Jerusa-
lem. Thereupon the king of the English first took the sign
of the cross at the hands of the archbishop of Rheims and
William of Tyre, the latter of whom had been entrusted by
our lord the pope with the office of legate in the affairs of the
crusade in the western part of Europe. After this the king
of the French and Philip count of Flanders also took the
cross ; and the example thus shown was so powerful, that
throughout the kingdoms and dominions of the two above
named kings, the cross was eagerly assumed by archbishops,
bishops, dukes, marquises, counts, barons, and soldiers, as
well as by the middle and lower classes of the people pro-
miscuously. It was agreed between the princes that the
French should all wear red, the English white, and the
followers of the count of Flanders green, crosses. Concerning
their dominions, fortresses, and all their possessions, it was
agreed that, until their pilgrimage was accomplished, and
each of them had passed forty days in his own country, all
things should remain as they were before their taking the
cross.

How the affection of Richard count of Poicton was estranged from his

father.

About this time, Geoffrey of Liziniac by treachery slew
a certain friend of Richard count of Poictou ; and to
punish such a crime the court was provoked to resort to
arms, but remembering the sign of the cross which he wore,
he spared those followers of Geoffrey who were willing to
take the sign, others he slew, and subdued several fortresses.
Geoffrey, relying on the money and assistance, as was said,
of the king of England, made resistance against count
Richard, but with little success, and this circumstance

64 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1188.

estranged the count's mind from his father. After Geoffrey
was subdued, the count having received injury at the hands
of the count of Toulouse, invaded that noble's territory, and in
a short time reduced seventeen of his castles. The French
king, being offended at count Richard's having attacked the
count of Toulouse's territories without his knowledge, se-
cretly attacked the castle of Ralph, and compelled all whom
he found there to make their fealty to him. This seemed to
be a most dishonourable act on the part of so great a prince,
especially as the king of England, when about to cross over
to England, had entrusted the care of all his territory to the
king of the French. Afterwards, the French king, partly by
threats, and partly by promises, brought over to himself
the friendship of some of the holders of castles which were
in subjection to the king of England. Thus, at the prompting
of the devil, disagreements arose between the two kings, who
even after their taking the cross inflicted mutual injuries on
each other, and at length the king of England invaded the
French kingdom, and burned the whole country from Ver-
neuil to Meudan. In this year, Richard bishop of Winches-
ter died on the twenty -second of December, and was buried
at Winchester.

Letter of Frederic the Roman emperor to Saladin.

In the same year, Frederic emperor of the Romans, wrote
to Saladin concerning the Holy Land, to the following pur-
port : — *

[ We,~\ Frederic, by the grace of God, emperor of the Romans,
ever august, the magnificent triumpher over the enemies of
the empire, \and the fortunate governor of the whole
monarchy^ to the illustrious Saladin, governor of the Sara-
cens, May he take warning from Pharaoh, and touch not
Jerusalem, !

[The letters which your devotion sent to us a long time
ago, on weighty and important matters, and which would
have benefited you if reliance could have been placed on
your words, we received, as became the magnificence of our
majesty, and deemed it meet to communicate by letter with
your greatness.] But now that you have profaned the Holy

* This letters occurs more complete in Vinsauf than in Wendover.
The passages in brackets have been introduced from Vinesauf.

a.d. 1188.] Frederic's letter to salad*n. 65

Land, over which we, by the authority of the Eternal King,
bear rule, as guardian of Judse, Samaria, and Palestine,
solicitude for our imperial office admonishes us to proceed
with due rigour against such presumptuous and criminal
audacity. Wherefore, unless, before all things, you restore
the land which you have seized, and give due satisfaction, to
be adjudged according to the holy constitutions, for such ne-
farious excesses, that we may not appear to wage unlawful
war against you, we give you from the first of November, a
period of twelve months, after which you shall try the
fortune of war, in the field of Zoan,* by the virtue of the
vivifying cross, and in the name of the true Joseph. For
we can scarcely believe that you are ignorant of that which
all antiquity and the writings of the ancients testify. Do
you pretend not to know that both the iEthiopias, Mauritania,
Persia, Scythia, Parthia, where our general Marcus Crassus
met with a premature death, Judea, Samaria, Arabia,
Maritima, and Chaldaea, Egypt, where, [shame to say ! a
Roman citizen, Antony, a man endowed with signal virtues,
passing the bounds of temperance, and acting otherwise than
as became a soldier sent from so great a state, submitted
to the unchaste love of Cleopatra ; do you pretend not to
know that] Armenia, and other innumerable countries,
are subject to our sway? This is well known to those
kings in w^hose blood the Roman sword has been so often
steeped; and you, God willing, shall learn by experience
the might of our victorious eagles, and be made acquainted
with our troops of many nations — the anger of Germany —
the untamed head of the Rhine — the youth from the banks
of the Danube, who know not how to flee — the towering
Bavarian — the cunning Suabian — the cautious Franconian —
Saxony, that sports with the sword — Thuringia — Westphalia
— the active Brabantine — the Lorrainer, unused to peace —
the fiery Burgundian — the nimble mountaineer of the Alps
— the Frison with his javelin and thong — the Bohemian ever
ready to brave death — Polonia, fiercer than her own fierce
beasts — Austria — Styria — Ruwennia — Istria — Rocumphia
— Illyria — Lombardy — Tuscany — the march of Ancona — the
resolute Venetian and the Pisan sailor — and lastly, also, you

* The allusion is to Psalm lxxviii. 12. The emperor seems to mean
that he will attack Saladin in Egypt.
VOL. II. F

66 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1188.

shall assuredly be taught how our own right hand, which you
suppose to be enfeebled by old age, can still wield the sword
upon that day of reverence and gladness which has been
appointed for the triumph of Christ's cause.

Saladirts answer to the emperor Frederic.

To the great king, his sincere friend, the illustrious Frederic,
king of Germany: — In the name of God the merciful:
by the grace of the one God, the powerful, the surpassing,
the victorious, the everlasting, of whose kingdom there is
no end.

We give continual thanks to Him, whose grace is over all
the world : we pray that he may pour out his inspiration
over all his prophets, and especially on our teacher, his mes-
senger, the prophet Mahomet, whom he sent to teach the true
law, which he will make to appear above all laws. But we
make it known to the sincere and powerful king, our great,
amicable friend, the king of Germany, that a certain man,
named Henry, came to us, professing to be your envoy, and
he gave us a letter, which he said was from your hand. We
caused the letter to be read, and we heard him speak by word
of mouth, and to the words which he spake by word of
mouth we answered also in words. But this is the answer
to your letter : — You enumerate those who are leagued with
you to come against us, and you name them and say — the
king of this land and the king of that land — this count and
that count, and such archbishops, marquises, and knights.
But if we wished to enumerate those who are in our service,
and who listen to our commands, and obey our words, and
would fight for us, this is a list which could not be reduced
to writing. If you reckon up the names of the Christians,
the Saracens are more numerous, and many times more
numerous than the Christians. If the sea lies between us
and those whom you name Christians, there is no sea to
separate the Saracens, who cannot be numbered; between us
and those who will come to aid us, there is no impediment.
With us are the Bedouins, who would be quite sufficient singly
to oppose our enemies ; and the Turkomans, who, unaided,
could destroy them : even our peasants, if we were to bid
them, would fight bravely against the nations which should
come to invade our country, and would despoil them of their

A.D. 1188.] SALADIN's ANSWER TO FREDERIC. 67

riches and exterminate them. What ! have we not on our
side the warlike Soldarii, by whom we have opened and
gained the land, and driven out our enemies ? These, and
all the kings of Paganism will not be slow when we shall
summon them, nor delay when we shall call them. And
whenever your armies shall be assembled, according to the
import of your letter, and you shall lead them, as your
messenger tells us, we will then meet you in the power of
God. Nor will we be satisfied with the land which is on the
sea-coast, but we will cross over with God's good pleasure,
and will take from you all your lands, in the strength of the
Lord. For if you come, you will come with all your forces,
and will be present with all your people, and we know that there
will remain none at home to defend themselves or light for
their country. And when the Lord, by his power, shall
have given us victory over you, nothing will remain for us
to do but freely to take your lands, by His power, and with
His good pleasure. For the union of the Christian faith
has twice come against us in Babylon ; once at Damietta, and
again at Alexandria : [it was also in the coast of the land of
Jerusalem in the hand of the Christians, in the land of
Damascus, and in the land of the Saracens ; in each fortress
there was a lord who studied his own interests.] You know
how the Christians each time returned, and to what an issue
they came. But these our people are assembled together
with their countries, and the Lord has associated with us
countries in abundance, and united them far and wide under
our power. Babylon, with its dependencies, and the land of
Damascus, and Jerusalem on the sea-coast, and the land of
Gesireh with its castles, and the land of Roasia with its
dependencies, and the land of India with its dependencies —
by the grace of God, all this is in our hands, and the residue
of the Saracenic kings is in our empire. For if we were to
command the illustrious kings of the Saracens, they would
not withdraw themselves from us. And if we were to ad-
monish the caliph of Bagdad (whom God preserve) to come
to our aid, he would rise from the throne of his great empire,
and would come to help our excellence. We have obtained,
also, by the virtue and power of God, Jerusalem and its
territory ; and of the three cities which still remain in the
hands of the Christians, Tyre, Tripoli, and Antioch, nothing

f 2

68 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1188.

remains but that we should occupy them also. But> if you
wish for war, and if God so will of his good pleasure that we
occupy the whole land of the Christians, we will meet you in
the power of the Lord, as is written in this our letter. But,
if you ask us for the boon of peace, you will command the
warders of the three places above mentioned to deliver them
up to us without resistance ; and we will restore to you the
holy cross, and will liberate all the Christian captives who
are in all our territories ; and we will be at peace with you,
and will allow you to have one priest at the sepulchre, and
wo will restore the abbeys which used to be in the time of
paganism,* and will do good to them, and will permit the
pilgrims to come during all our life, and we will be at peace
with you. But if the letter which came to us by the hand
of Henry be the letter of the king, we have written this letter
for answer, and may God give us counsel according to his
will. This letter is written in the year of the coming of
our prophet Mahomet, 584, by the grace of the only God.
[And may God save our prophet Mahomet and his race, and
may he save the salvation of our Saviour, illustrious Lord,
and victorious King ; the giver of unity ; the true word ;
the adorner of the standard of truth; the corrector of the
world and of the law ; soldan of the Saracens and pagans ;
the servitor of the two holy houses, and of the holy house of
Jerusalem ; the father of victors ; Joseph the son of Job ;
the reviver of the progeny of Murmuraenus !]

How Guy king of Jerusalem was released from prison.

In the same year, Guy king of Jerusalem, after being
kept prisoner for a year, was released from prison by
Saladin, on condition of his abdicating his sovereignty, and
going immediately into exile beyond sea ; but the clergy of
the kingdom were of opinion that this agreement ought
to be nullified, and that faith was not to be kept in a case
where religion was endangered, as long as the land of promise
was destitute of all security in having no head or ruler, and
pilgrims who might arrive had no leader, and the people
had no protector. Therefore, on the release of the king,

* This letter has evidently been translated out of the original Saracenic
with reference to Christian notions : a Saracen would hardly have described
his own faith by the word "paganism."

A.D. 1188.] saladin's retreat from acre. 69

many pilgrims, lately arrived, flocked to him together with
the people of the country, and formed a large army ; these
wished to enter Tyre, but the marquis refused to admit
them, although the city had been entrusted to him on
condition that it should, on the request of the king and
the heirs to the kingdom, be restored to them ; however, on
the death of the marquis a few days afterwards, this trouble
ceased. At the same time, also, died Raymund count of
Tripoli, to whom was imputed the whole of the disaster
at the land of promise, for which, as is said, he did not
receive the last rites of Christianity at the hour of death.
After these occurrences the king, with his army, consisting
of the barons of the kingdom, who still adhered to him,
in conjunction with the templars and hospitallers, the
Venetians who had lately arrived, and pilgrims from Genoa,
took his route towards the city of Ptolemais, otherwise called
Acre ; the whole force of his armed troops exceeding nine
thousand men. The king of Jerusalem on arriving near the
city, ordered all his followers to ascend a mountain in the
neighbourhood, which from its rotundity and tower-like form
at the top, was commonly called Turon ; this mountain rises
loftily on the east side of the city, and extending in
a circuit spreads itself over the plain. On the third
day after their arrival, the Christians laid siege to the
city, which never afterwards was relaxed until the time
when it was taken by Philip king of France, and Richard
king of England. The common soldiers were inspired with
such zeal that they did not wait for the kings, but flocked
together from all parts to serve in the Lord's army.

How Saladin retired from Acre in confusion.

The king of Jerusalem, surrounded by his vast multitude
of pilgrims, ordered all his troops to descend from Turon, and
with them pitched his camp before the city. After a few
days, however, Saladin came against them, and with a strong
force made a fierce attack on the Christians, as if he thought
to conquer them in one onset ; but the army of the faithful
being in one close mass, as if fighting for their souls, bravely
opposed them, and Saladin, in giving orders to surround them,
judged it impossible for a single one of them to escape : but
it was otherwise decreed by Him, who puts to confusion the

70 ROGER OF WENDOVEK. [A.D. 1189.

plans of the wicked ; for after enduring for three days the
attacks of the infidels, who harassed them on all sides, when
they had begun to fail from being weakened by the enemy's
attacks, they beheld a fleet with twelve thousand Danes
and Frisians under full sail entering the harbour, which
by God's assistance they had reached after a prosperous
voyage. Saladin, being alarmed at this sight and other like
events, retired in confusion to the lower parts of his country.

Of the great hindrance to the cause of the Holy Land.

At this time there was a great drawback to the cause of
the Holy Land in the differences which had lately, even since
their taking the sign of the cross, arisen between the king of
the French and Richard count of Poictou on the one part,
and Henry king of the English on the other ; so great indeed
was their quarrel, that they took castles from one another,
and committed many excesses by slaughter and rapine ; at
length for the sake of peace they came to a conference in
Normandy, but the devil sowed tares amongst the wheat, so
that they separated still at enmity.

How John, cardinal of Anagnia, endeavoured to make peace between the
kings Philip and Henry.

a.d. 1189. King Henry, whilst staying in the country
beyond sea, was grievously harassed by the annoyances which
Philip king of the French, and Richard his son count of
Poictou, caused him; at Christmas he was at Saumur in
Anjou, keeping that festival there, although several of his
counts and barons had left him and gone over to the side of
Richard his son. After the feast of St. Hilary, the treaties
which had existed between the two kings, were broken off,
and the French king Philip, and count Richard, entered the
territories of the king of England and ravaged them; the
Bretons, too, left him and went over to count Richard ; but
pope Clement, wondering that peace had not as yet been
made between the kings, sent John cardinal of Anagiria,
with full power to settle the disputes between them.
This prelate endeavoured to bring them to terms of amity at
one time by reproaches, at another by mild arguments, till at
length the kings gave security, and swore to abide by the
arbitration of the archbishops of Bourges, Rouen, and Can-

A.D. 1189.] OPPRESSION OF THE HOLY LAND. 71

terbury ; so that if either of them should fail in his compact
so as to render the peace between them less firm, or to delay
the expedition to Jerusalem, against that one should the sen-
tence of excommunication be promulgated by authority of
our lord the pope, as against a subverter of our Lord's cross
and of the whole Christian religion; and immediately the
cardinal took the opinion of all, priests as well as laymen, to
determine who it was that caused the breach between the
kings, saving the persons of the said kings.

Letter of the marquis9 s son concerning the oppression of the Holy Land.

" Conrad, son of the marquis of Mont-Ferrat, to Baldwin
archbishop of Canterbury, greeting. — The elements are dis-
turbed, and it is derogatory to the catholic faith that the see
of Jerusalem should be separated from the apostolic see.
Jerusalem has become extinct, and the inactivity of the
Christians is most contemptibly spoken of by the Saracens ;
they are polluting our Lord's sepulchre, they are destroying
Calvary, they despise the birth-place of Christ, and are
utterly destroying the sepulchre of the blessed virgin Mary ;
the see of Constantinople shows no reverence for that of
Rome. Antioch, too, is known to be in its last extremity.
All these things are known to have happened through the
idleness of the Christians. But the holy city of Jerusalem
is much to be wept for and lamented, since it is deprived of
its worshippers, and where once Christ spent daily and
nightly hours in prayer, there the name of Mahomet is now
worshipped aloud. To your highness, therefore, I put forth
my prayers mingled with tears, that you will deign to com-
miserate the sufferings of the Holy Land, that you will
comfort kings, and admonish those of the true faith, that by
expelling these dogs from the patrimony of Jesus Christ,
they may out of charity assist to free it from bondage, and
so deliver from the dominion of the infidels the land which
has been trodden by the holy feet of our Saviour. In ad-
dition to this mass of iniquity and desolation of Christianity,
a friendship is cherished between Saladin and the emperor
of Constantinople, to whom the said Saladin has delivered
all the churches of the land of promise that sacred rites may
be performed in them by his followers after the Greek cus-
tom. Moreover Saladin also by consent of that emperor sent

72 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1189.

his idol to Constantinople to be publicly worshipped there,
but by the grace of God it was captured at sea by the
Genoese, and brought, with the ship which carried it, to
Tyre. Lately, too, an army was supplied by the emperor
before Antioch, and he promised Saladin a hundred galleys ;
and Saladin has given him the whole land of promise, if he
will prevent the march of the French to the assistance of the
Holy Land ; every one at Constantinople who would take the
cross, is immediately taken and thrown into prison. But we
have this one consolation, that the brother of Saladin, and
also his son, were lately taken prisoners before Antioch, and
are handed over to safe custody. Farewell."

Of the causes which led Richard to rebel against his father.

The same year, after Easter, a conference was held
between the kings at Ferte-Bernard, and at last they met in
Whitsun-week and the French king demanded that his
daughter Alice, whom Henry had under his charge, should
be given in marriage to count Richard, together with a
guarantee of the crown of England after his own death ; also
that his son John should embrace the crusade, for Richard
would not go without him : but the king of England would
not give his consent to these proposals, and the two kings
parted in anger. In this conference the cardinal aforesaid
positively threatened, if the king of France and count Richard
would not make peace with the king of England, to lay
their dominions under an interdict. The king of France
replied that he had no fear of so unjust a sentence ; that it was
not in the power of the church of Rome to pass judgment on
the king or kingdom of France, for taking arms to punish
rebellious subjects ; that the cardinal had smelt the king of
England's pounds sterling, and that he suspected his judg-
ment had been perverted thereby. On the other hand, the
archbishops and the nobles advised the king of England to
agree to his son's demands, saying that it was right to give
so noble a son and brave knight some security of obtaining
the kingdom after his father's death : but the king refused to
do so in the existing state of things, lest he should be said to
have done so by constraint and not of his own free will.
Count Richard, having heard this reply, did homage to the
French king, before them all, for the whole territory of his

A.D. 1189.] CONQUESTS OF THE KING OF FRANCE. 73

father which belonged to the crown of France, saving the
tenure to his father as long as he lived, and saving the
allegiance due to his father. Thus the conference ended, and
the kings and all the people separated.

How the king of France took four castles from the king of England, and
drove away the king himself from the city of Mans,

The French king, departing from the conference in com-
pany with count Richard, took Ferte-Bernard, Montfort, and
Baalverque, fortresses belonging to the king of England, and
after taking them, remained there four days. Thence pro-
ceeding to Maine, and pretending to go to Tours, on the fol-
lowing Monday, whilst the king of England and his men
thought themselves in safety there, he disposed his forces to
make an attack on the city of Mans; and Stephen de
Turnham, the king of England's seneschal of Anjou, set fire
to the suburbs, but the flames passing the walls, reduced
almost all the city to ashes. The French upon this pro-
ceeded to a stone bridge, where Geoffrey de Biurlun and
many others with him from the king of England met them,
and endeavoured to break down the bridge : a severe conflict
took place, and many fell on both sides. Geoffrey, after
having received a wound in the neck, was taken with many
others : the rest essaying to escape into the city, the French
entered with them, and the king of England, despairing of
resistance, fled with seven hundred horsemen. The French
king and count Richard pursued him for three miles, and if
the stream, which they forded, had not been wide and deep,
all the knights of the king of England's household would have
been taken prisoners. Many Welshmen fell in that battle.
The king of England, at the head of a small party, took
refuge in the castle of Tours, and the rest of his men in the
tower of Mans. The king of France immediately besieged
the tower, and partly by his engines and partly by his miners,
reduced the garrison, consisting of thirty knights, and sixty
men-at-arms, to surrender. Marching thence he reduced
Mont-Double, Trou, de Rocher, Montoire, Carciere, Chateau -
du-Loir, Chaumont, Amboise, Roche-corbon, and Beaumont.

The city of Seville is captured.
The same year many ships passing through the British

74 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1189.

seas, entered into an agreement with the pilgrims of England,
and, by common consent, leaving Dartmouth on the 18th of
May thirty-seven vessels, deeply laden, put to sea, and after
various adventures arrived at Lisbon. The king of Portugal,
seeing that they carried arms and soldiers well equipped for
battle, entreated them to assist him in reducing the city of
Seville, promising to lend them thirty-seven galleys and many
other ships : he also entered into a treaty with them on oath
that they should keep all the gold, silver, and other spoil,
which they should find in the city, when they had taken it,
and give up to him only the city itself. They therefore left
Lisbon with a favourable wind, and soon reached the port of
Seville, where they brought their ships to land, pitched their
camp, and laid siege straightway to the city. The number of
their men fit for battle was three thousand five hundred. On
the third day they made a fierce assault on the walls and forced
their way into the suburbs, where there was a fountain
surrounded by a double wall, and having a barbican defended
by nine towers, from which the inhabitants of the city got
water. This fountain they filled with dung and stones. The
gentiles were now alarmed at being cut off from their supply
of water; and Alchad the prince of the city, going to the
king of Portugal, surrendered the city to him without the
knowledge of the Christians. Thus the crusaders took the
city in this wonderful manner, and found in it sixty thousand
people, all of whom, except only thirteen thousand of both sexes,
were put to the sword. By the mercy of God, this victory
was obtained without loss to the Christians, and when the
city had been cleansed from its impurities, the king of
Portugal dedicated the great mosque to the honour of the
mother of God, and made bishop of it one of the pilgrims who
had come thither from Flanders.

How king Henry was compelled to make peace with Richard his son.

The same year, on the day after the feast of St. Peter and
St. Paul, Philip count of Flanders, William archbishop of
Rheims, and Hugh duke of Burgundy, came to Saumur for
the purpose of making peace between the French king and
count Richard of Poictou. Now count Richard had joined the
Bretons to the men of Poictou, and they had obtained letters
patent from the king of France, to the effect that he would

A.D. 1189.] PEACE BETWEEN HENRY AND RICHARD. 75

never make peace with king Henry without comprehending
them also in the treaty. Meanwhile the king of France and
Richard count of Poictou laid siege to Tours, and on the next
Monday after the festival aforesaid, they applied their scaling
ladders to the walls on the side of the Loire, which contained
very little water, and took the city, with its garrison of sixty-
nine knights and a hundred men-at-arms. Then the king of
England was compelled to make a discreditable peace, on the
following terms: — "The king of England places himself
wholly under the counsel of the king of France, so that what-
soever the latter shall think proper to be done, the king of
England will fulfil without gainsaying." The king of
England then did homage to the king of France as he had
formerly done in the beginning of the war. It was also pro-
vided that Alice the French king's sister should be given into
the charge of count Richard until his return from the
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and that she should then
become his wife. It was also provided that count Richard
should receive the homage of all his father's subjects on both
sides of the sea, and that none of the barons or knights, who
in this war had adhered to count Richard, should return to
England, except in the last month before the departure of the
kings towards the Holy Land, the term of which will be in
the middle of Lent. Moreover that he should pay the king
of France twenty thousand marks of silver for his services in
assisting count Richard; and that the king of France and
count Richard should hold the cities of Mans and Tours,
with Chateau du Loir and Trou, until all the aforesaid condi-
tions should be fulfilled. By this transaction the prophecy of
Merlin seems to have been fulfilled that a bit fabricated in
the coasts of Armorica should be put into his jaws : for a bit
was now put into the jaws of the king of England, by reason
that the dominions, which his predecessors had acquired in
Auvergne, had become the property of another, for he now
was obliged to give up to his son Richard, whether he would
or no, those who had deserted from him, namely Geoffry de
Meduan, Guy du Val, Ralph de Fulcher, all residing within
the coasts of Armorica, i. e. Brittany, through which is a
peaceable passage between Britain and France, without
trespassing on the coasts of Normandy.

76 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1189.

Of the Roman emperor's departure on pilgrimage.

About this time, on the feast of St. George, Frederic the
Roman emperor set out on pilgrimage from Remesburg,
intending to march through Hungary and Bulgaria.

Of the death of king Henry,

King Henry returned to Chinon from the conference much
dejected, and cursed the day on which he was born : three
days after, he was no more. He died on the octaves of the
apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, after a reign of thirty-four
years, seven months, and five days. On the morrow, as they
were carrying him to be buried, arrayed in his royal robes,
his crown, gloves, shoes, ring, sceptre, and sword, he lay with
his face uncovered ; and when Richard, hearing the news of
his death, came to meet the convoy, blood flowed from the
nostrils of the deceased, as if he was indignant at the presence
of one who was believed to have caused his death. Count
Richard, seeing this, shed tears bitterly, and followed his
father's corpse in much tribulation to Font-Evraud, where
he caused it to be buried with honours by the archbishops of
Tours and Treves. And whereas the deceased monarch had
often said that the whole world ought not to suffice for the
ambition of one king, there was an inscription put upon his
tomb of the following import : —

ie Here lies King Henr}^ I, who many realms
Did erst subdue, and was both count and king.
Though all the regions of the earth could not
Suffice me once, eight feet of ground are now
Sufficient for me. Reader, think of death,
And look on me as what all men must come to."

I would also add in this place the laws which king Henry
made for the good of his kingdom, if I did not fear to weary
the patience of my readers. About the same time died
Matilda, Henry's daughter and wife of Henry duke of
Saxony.

How earl Richard obtained the duchy of Normandy.

When king Henry therefore was dead, his son Richard
immediately laid hands on Stephen de Turnham,* the senes-
chal of Anjou, and committing him to custody required him

* More properly of Tours.

A.D. 1189.] RELEASE OF QUEEN ELEANOR. 77

to deliver up the castles and treasures which were in his hands
belonging to his father. He next honourably retained with
him all those who had served his father and on whose fidelity
he could reckon, and recompensed each according to his de-
serts for the long services which he had rendered to his
father. Moreover, when John his brother came to see him,
he received him with due honour. He then proceeded to
Rouen in Normandy, and on the 13 th before the kalends of
August,* in presence of the bishops, earls, barons and knights,
he took the sword of the duchy of Normandy, by the minis-
try of the archbishop, from the altar of the blessed virgin
Mary : and having received the allegiance both of the clergy
and the people, he abundantly confirmed to his brother John
all the lands which his father had given him in England,
namely, an estate of 4000 marks, and the whole county of
Mortaigne. He also granted to his brother Geoffrey, for-
merly bishop elect of Lincoln, the archbishopric of York ; and
Geoffrey, immediately sending his clerks with the duke's
letters, took the archbishopric into his own hands, having
expelled the guards of the king and of Hubert Walter, dean
of that same church, who had also been elected bishop by some
of the canons. On the third day of his reign the duke had
an interview with the French king between Chaumont and
Trie, wherein the king of the French demanded the castle of
Gisors and all the neighbouring province ; but because the
duke was about to take the king's sister Alice in marriage,
he forbode to press his demand for a time, and the duke on
his part promised to pay 4000 marks more than the sum
which his father had promised.

How king Richard released his mother from her long confinement.

Meanwhile his mother queen Eleanor, who for sixteen
years had been removed from his father's bed, and kept in
close confinement, received her son's permission to manage
matters in the kingdom according to her own pleasure, and
the nobles were instructed to obey her in every respect.
The queen, with these powers, released all those who were
in prison throughout all England, knowing from her own
experience how painful to mankind is imprisonment. In
these days was fulfilled the prophecy of Merlin, which says,

* July 20.

78 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1189.

" The eagle of the broken treaty shall rejoice in her third
nestling." The queen is meant by the eagle, because she
stretches out her two wings over two kingdoms, France and
England. She was separated from the king of the French
by divorce on account of consanguinity, and from the king of
the English by suspicion and imprisonment ; and so she was
on both sides the eagle of a broken treaty. The next part
of the sentence, " shall rejoice in her third nestling," may be
understood in this way : — The queen's first-born son, named
William, died when he was a boy ; Henry her second
son, was raised to the rank of king, and paid the debt of
nature, after he had engaged in hostilities with his father ;
and Richard his third son, who is denoted by the " third
nestling," was a source of joy to his mother, and released her,
as I have said, from the misery of confinement.

King Richard comes to England to be crowned.

When all these things were arranged, duke Richard, ad-
ministering due justice to all his subjects, arrived at Barbe-
fleuve, where he took ships and landed at Portsmouth on the
ides of August [Aug. 13]. His arrival was soon blazoned
through England, and caused much joy to both clergy and
people ; for although some grieved for the death of his father,
yet they took consolation from those words of the poet : —

" Wonders I sing : the sun withdrew his light,
And yet no darkness followed. "

Immediately therefore after his arrival, the duke proceeded
to Winchester, where he caused all his father's treasures to
be weighed and an inventory of them to be made ; there
were found to be nine hundred thousand pounds in gold and
silver, besides precious stones. From thence he proceeded to
Salisbury, and thence from one place to another granting to all
the objects of their petitions, and bestowing lands on many
who before had none. Moreover he gave to his brother
John the daughter of Robert earl of Gloucester, together with
that earldom and the castles of Marlborough, Lutegareshale,
Bolsover, Nottingham, and Lancaster, with the honours
belonging to it, and the honour of William Peverel. All
these possessions he confirmed to his brother John, who
afterwards espoused the aforesaid earl's daughter, contrary
to the prohibition of Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury,

A.D. 1189.] CORONATION OF RICHARD I. 79

because their parents were in the third degree of consan-
guinity. About the same time certain of the canons of
York elected Geoffrey the duke's brother, and, having sung
a hymn, solemnly confirmed the election by affixing their
seals ; but master Bartholomew, the official of Hubert Walter
dean of that church, unwilling that this should take place in
the absence of the bishop of Durham and of Hubert Walter
the dean, both of whom had a right to be present at the
election, appealed to our lord the pope against it.

Geoffrey of Ely dies intestate.

At the same time, Geoffrey bishop of Ely died intestate on
the 12th before the kalends of September (Aug. 21.); wherefore
out of what he left behind him, three thousand marks of silver
and two thousand marks of gold were confiscated to the king ;
and the quantity of his furniture and stuff in rings, gold and
silver plate, corn, rich garments, and other things, was im-
mense.

Of the coronation of king Richard the first,

Duke "Richard, when all the preparations for his coronation
were complete, came to London, where were assembled the
archbishops of Canterbury, Rouen, and Treves, by whom he
had been absolved for having carried arms against his father
after he had taken the cross. The archbishop of Dublin was
also there, with all the bishops, earls, barons, and nobles of
the kingdom. When all were assembled, he received the
crown of the kingdom in the order following : — First came
the archbishops, bishops, abbats, and clerks, wearing their
caps, preceded by the cross, the holy water, and the censers,
as far as the door of the inner chamber, where they received
the duke, and conducted him to the church of Westminster,
as far as the high altar, in a solemn procession. In the
midst of the bishops and clerks went four barons carrying
candlesticks with wax candles, after whom came two earls,
the first of whom carried the royal sceptre, having on its top
a golden cross ; the other carried the royal sceptre, having a
dove on its top. Next to these came two earls with a third
between them, carrying three swords with golden sheaths,
taken out of the king's treasury. Behind these came six
earls and barons carrying a chequer, over which were

80 ROGER OP WENDOVER. [A.D. 1189.

placed the royal arms and robes, whilst another earl followed
them carrying aloft a golden crown. Last of all came duke
Richard, having a bishop on the right hand, and a bishop on
the left, and over them was held a silk awning. Proceeding
to the altar, as we have said, the holy gospels were placed
before him together with the relics of some of the saints, and
he swore, in presence of the clergy and people that he
would observe peace, honour, and reverence, all his life,
towards God, the holy church and its ordinances : he swore
also that he would exercise true justice towards the people
committed to his charge, and abrogating all bad laws and un-
just customs, if any such might be found in his dominions,
would steadily observe those which were good. After this
they stripped him of all his clothes except his breeches and
shirt, which had been ripped apart over his shoulders to
receive the unction. He was then shod with sandals inter-
woven with gold thread, and Baldwin archbishop of Canter-
bury anointed him king in three places, namely, on his head,
his shoulders, and his right arm, using prayers composed for
the occasion : then a consecrated linen cloth was placed on
his head, over which was put a hat, and when they had
again clothed him in his royal robes with the tunic and gown,
the archbishop gave into his hand a sword wherewith to
crush all the enemies of the church: this done, two earls
placed his shoes upon his feet, and when he had received the
mantle, he was adjured by the archbishop, in the name of
God, not to presume to accept these honours unless his mind
was steadily purposed to observe the oaths which he had made :
and he answered that, with God's assistance, he would faith-
fully observe every thing which he had promised. Then the
king taking the crown from the altar gave it to the arch-
bishop, who placed it upon the king's head, with the sceptre
in his right hand and the royal wand in his left ; and so, with
his crown on, he was led away by the bishops and barons,
preceded by the candles, the cross, and the three swords afore-
said. When they came to the offertory of the mass, the two
bishops aforesaid led him forwards and again led him back.
At length, when the mass was chanted, and every thing
finished in the proper manner, the two bishops aforesaid led
him away with his crown on, and bearing in his right hand
the sceptre, in his left the royal wand, and so they returned

A.D. 1189.] PERSECUTION OF THE JEWS. 81

in procession into the choir, where the king put off his royal
robes, and taking others of less weight, and a lighter crown
also, he proceeded to the dinner-table, at which the arch-
bishops, bishops, earls, and barons, with the clergy and
people, were placed, each according to his rank and dignity,
and feasted splendidly, so that the wine flowed along the
pavement and walls of the palace. All this took place on
Sunday the third before the nones of September.*

Of the persecution of the Jews.

Many Jews were present at this coronation, contrary to the
king's command ; for he had caused proclamation to be made
the day before, that no Jews or women should attend, on ac-
count of the magical incantations which take place sometimes
at royal coronations. But the courtiers laid hands on them,
although they came in secret, and when they had robbed and
scourged them dreadfully, they cast them out of the church ;
some of them died, and others could hardly be said to have
life left in them. The populace of the city hearing of this
attack of the courtiers on the Jews, made a similar assault
on those who remained in the city, and, after they had put
to death numbers of both sexes, and rased to the ground or
burned their houses, they plundered their gold and silver, their
writings and valuable garments. Those of the Jews who
escaped being put to death, took refuge in the tower of
London, and afterwards, by taking up their residence se-
cretly here and there among their friends, they caused others
to become rich by their own losses. This persecution began
in the year of their jubilee, which they call the year of
remission, and it hardly ceased before the end of the year, so
that what ought to have been to them a year of remission,
was turned into a jubilee of confusion. On the morrow,
when the king heard of the wrong that had been done them,
he chose to consider it as a wrong done to himself; wherefore,
he caused three of them to be apprehended, tried by the
judges of his court, and hanged one of them because he had
stolen something belonging to a Christian; and the other
two, because they had ldndled a fire in the city, by which

* Vinesauf [Itiner. Rich.] agrees with Wendover in this date ; which
makes it probable that Gervase, who fixes it on the 1 1th, is in error, for the
11th of September in that year fell on a Monday.

VOL. II. G

82 ROGER OF WENDOVER. |_A.D. 1189.

the house of a Christian citizen had been consumed. When
the English people throughout the country heard of this attack
on the Jews in London, they assailed them with one consent,
and made a perfect havoc of them, slaughtering their persons
and plundering their goods. But on the day after the coro-
nation, king Richard, having received nomage and the oath
of fidelity from the nobles, gave orders that no Jews should
suffer forfeiture, but that they should live in peace throughout
all the cities of England,

Of king Richard's munificence.

When the Cistercian monks came together from different
parts of the world to a general chapter of their order, king
Richard gave them every year a hundred marks of silver,
and confirmed it by a charter.

How king Richard bestowed pastors on the churches which were vacant
throughout England.

On the morrow of the elevation of the holy cross,* king
Richard was at Pipe well, f where, by the advice of his arch-
bishops and bishops he convened a large council, and gave
to his brother Geoffrey the archbishopric of York ; whilst he
appointed Godfrey de Lucy to the bishopric of Winchester,
Richard archdeacon of Ely to that of London, Hubert
Walter to Salisbury, and William de Longchamp to Ely :
but Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury, after the elections
were made, forbade Geoffrey archbishop elect of York, to
receive sacerdotal orders or episcopal consecration from any
other hands than his own, and on this behalf he appealed to
the apostolic see.

How Hugh bishop of Durham obtained the title of earl for money.

At this time, king Richard deposed from his office of bailiff,
Ralph de Glanville, justiciary of England, together with
almost all the English sheriffs and their officers, compelling
all of them to pay a heavy fine of redemption ; and to raise
funds for the recovery of the Holy Land from the dominion
of the infidels, he set every thing up for sale ; lordships,
castles, townships, woods, farms, shrievalties, and such like.
Whereupon Hugh de Pusaz, bishop of Durham, bought for

* The 17th of September. f In Northamptonshire.

A.D. 1189.] BISHOP HUGH BUYS THE TITLE OF EARL. 83

himself and his see, the king's township of Segesfeld,
together with the wapentake and all its appurtenances, and
the earldom of Northumberland during his own life ; and
when the king girded on him the sword which entitled him
to claim the name of earl, he said to the attendants with a
laugh, "I have made a young earl out of an old bishop."
But the bishop went still further, for to complete the ridi-
culousness of the thing, he gave the king ten marks of silver,
that he might be made justiciary of England, and not go to
the Holy Land : and as a precaution against all gainsayers,
he gave a considerable bribe to the apostolic see, which is
never backivard to meet a person's views, and so obtained a
licence to remain. In this manner worldly ambition led him
to lay aside the sign of the cross, which, as preachers tell
us, ought to be borne by all men, and especially by bishops.
By this conduct of the bishop was fulfilled a prophecy of St.
Godric the hermit, who, when the bishop came at the
beginning of his promotion, to ask the hermit about his
future prospects, and the length of time he should live, used
these words to him, " Of your future prospects and the num-
ber of years you have to live, you must inquire from the
holy apostles and others like them, but not from me ; for I
am here doing penance for my sins, and grieve to say that I
am still a wretched sinner : but this I tell you, that for seven
years before your death you shall suffer from a most lament-
able blindness !" The bishop left the man of God, revolving
in his mind the words which he had heard ; and as he had
the most implicit confidence in the hermit, he paid great
attention to his eyes, and consulted several physicians, that
he might preserve his sight as long as he lived. But when
many years had passed away, and he was seized with the
sickness of which he died, he asked the physicians with
much anxiety what he had best do, upon which all of them
with one voice advised him to think in time of the state of
his soul, and the more so, as he would soon be obliged to
leave this world. The bishop, hearing these words, said,
" Godric deceived me ; he promised me seven years of
blindness before my death !" Now, surely we are justified
in saying that he was blind, for by bribes he usurped to
himself the empty title of earl and justiciary, mixed himself
up with secular affairs, put off his pilgrimage to the Holy

G 2

84 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1189.

Land, and paying little regard to the care of the inward
soul and the duties of a pastor, was not only deprived of his
eye-sight, but was sunk in total darkness ; and thus this
bishop, according to the sentence of the man of God, died
at the end of seven years. At this time, earl William of
Magnaville died at Rouen.

Of a glorious battle fought by the Christians against the pagans.

On the 4th of October in this year a battle was fought at
Antioch between the Christians and the Saracens in the
manner following : — on the side of the Christians were the
king of Jerusalem, the templars, the hospitallers, the marquis
of Montferrat, the French, Theobald the prefect, and Peter
Leonis the Landegrave, who, with the Teutons and Pisans,
collected together an army of four thousand cavalry and a
hundred thousand foot. The pagan army under Saladin
consisted of a hundred thousand horse and an immense
multitude of foot soldiers. The Christians, bearing the sign
of the cross on their armour, began the battle about the
third hour in the morning, and, having God on their side,
drove the pagans to their camp, and pursuing them at the
sword's point, attacked and destroyed seven battalions of the
infidels, slew five hundred of Saladin's knights, amongst
whom were Baldwin, Saladin's son, and mortally wounded
his brother Thacaldine. Whilst they were thus gloriously
fighting, iive thousand Saracen soldiers made a sudden sally,
and attacked the Christians ; on seeing which Saladin roused
all his strength. The Christians, pressed on both sides,
forced their way in retreat through the pagans to their camp,
but with the loss of the master of the templars and many
others, who were slain on that day.

Ambassadors on the part of the French king come to king Richard to ask
him to hasten his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in company with the king
of the French,

In the same month of October Rotrod, count of Perche,
came as ambassador on the part of the king of the French to
England, to tell king Richard and the barons of England, that
he with the nobles of the kingdom of France, at a general
assembly at Paris, had sworn that he would without fail, God
willing, come with his barons to Vizelai, after Easter, thence to
set out for Jerusalem ; and in proof of this oath the French

A, J). 1189.] COUNCIL AT WESTMINSTER. 85

king had sent a letter to the king of England, asking him like-
wise to give him a guarantee at the same term for the prosecu-
tion of his journey. On this the king of England assembled the
bishops and nobles of the kingdom at Westminster; and, after
hearing the oath of the king of the French, to the effect that he
would hasten his departure without fail, he ordered William
his earl marshal to make oath by his own soul, that he, Richard
would, at the time previously fixed on, meet the king of the
French at Vizelai in order to start together from that place
for the land of promise. The ambassadors, having fulfilled
the object of their mission, returned to their own country.
On the 1st of November in this year Godfrey de Lucy of
Winchester, and Hubert Walter bishop of Salisbury elect,
received consecration at the hands of Baldwin archbishop
of Canterbury, in the chapel of St. Catherine at West-
minster.

Of a conversation made betiveen the archbishop of Canterbury and the
monks of that place, and other matters.

In the same month of November, John cardinal of Anagni,
arrived in England at Dover ; and as the king was in the
northern part of the kingdom, he was forbidden by queen
Eleanor to proceed farther without an order from the king ;
on which he spent thirteen days there at the expense of the
archbishop, until peace should be made between the arch-
bishop and the monks of Canterbury concerning the chapel of
Akington. But Richard, who was a very wise king, being
appealed to on both sides, came and in the same month of
November arranged final terms of peace between them, as
follows : — First, that Roger the prior, whom the archbishop
had installed in that office in opposition to the wishes of the
monks, should be deposed ; that the chapel, which the arch-
bishop had built in the suburb without their consent, should
be destroyed ; that the monks aforesaid should, according to
the rule of St. Benedict, show canonical obedience and sub-
jection to the archbishop ; as they had been accustomed to do
to his predecessors ; and at the request of the archbishop the
king gave to the deposed prior the abbacy of Evesham. It
was also provided that the chapel aforesaid should not have
the privilege of baptism or burial, nor the administering of
any sacred rites, except such as could be discharged by one
secular priest.

86 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1189.

How William king of Scots did homage to king Richard at Canterbury,

At the same time William king of Scots, did homage to the
king of the English for his rights in England, and king
Richard restored to him the castles of Roxburghe and
Berwick ; for the redemption of which fortresses, and as a
quit-claim for his fealty and allegiance concerning the king-
dom of Scotland, and the confirmation of his charter, he paid
to the king of England ten thousand marks of silver.

Of the liberality of king Richard,

At this time king Richard gave to his brother John the
counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and Dorset ; he also
gave to his mother Eleanor her usual dowry, with lands and
honours in addition to it.

How king Richard crossed the sea to Normandy.

On the 5th of December* in the same year, king Richard
set out from the city of Canterbury for Dover; thence to
cross the sea, and accordingly, on the eve of the feast of
St. Lucy the virgin, he sailed for Flanders, where he was
joyfully received by count Philip, who also accompanied him
into Normandy. The king appointed Hugh bishop of
Durham, and William bishop of Ely, his chancellor Hugh
Bardulph, and William Briwere, guardians of the kingdom of
England, to keep the laws and customs of the kingdom in
observance, and to administer justice to those who required
it; but distinction was made between these guardians in
favour of Hugh bishop of Durham, and William bishop of
Ely, to the former of whom was entrusted the administration
of justice in that part of the country extending from the great
river Humber to the Scotch sea ; whilst the latter obtained
the judgeship of the country from the before-mentioned river
to the Gallic sea. This much annoyed Hugh bishop of

* Instead of this sentence, Matthew Paris has as follows :— " About the
same time, on the 5th day ot December, king Richard, when he had finished
his praying, fasting, and almsgiving, left the city of Canterbury, promising to
do all that the martyr could wish for touching those things for which the
saint had contended so gloriously. He started for Dover on the eve of
St. Lucy, and crossed over to Flanders the same day. Whilst he was at
sea, he made a vow to build a chapel to the martyr in the Holy Land,
where the saint should be his guide and protector, both by sea and land.
This vow he fulfilled at Acre as shall be said hereafter."

A.D. 1190.] TAXES LEVIED FOR THE HOLY LAND. 87

Durham, who then, for the first time, learnt that the king had
made a justiciary of him, not from regard to justice, but that
he might extort money, as has been before mentioned, from
him ; for this reason he and the chancellor were seldom
agreed, as the saying is,

. . . * For every power
Is jealous of a rival.'

How the archbishop laid an interdict on the lands of John the king's
brother, but the cardinal reversed it.

About this time John, the king's brother, laid a grievous
complaint before the legate and the bishops, that the arch-
bishop, even after an appeal made to the apostolic see, had
laid an interdict on all his lands, because he had espoused
the daughter of the earl of Gloucester, who was related to
him in the third degree of consanguinity ; and on hearing this
complaint the legate confirmed his appeal, and released his
lands from the interdict.

How the tenth part of property in England was given to assist the

Holy Land.

At this time a tax of the tenth part of all moveables was
generally levied throughout England, and collected for send-
ing assistance to the Holy Land, and this violent extortion,
which veiled the vice of rapacity * under the name of charity,
alarmed the priesthood as well as the people. In this year
Richard bishop of London, and William of Ely, were elected
and consecrated at Lambeth on the last day of December.

How the confederate kings determined to depart together to the Holy Land.

a.d. 1190. At Christmas, Richard king of the English
was at Bure in Normandy, and passed the time of that solemn
festival there with the primates of that country. After
Christmas, at an interview between the kings of England and
France in the ford of St. Remy, it was agreed that they

* " Besides the oppression which England thus endured, the king, eager
to acquire money, pretended that he had lost his seal, and commanded a
new one to be made, and ordered it to be proclaimed in every county, that
whoever desired to give greater validity to their charters should come with-
out delay and have the new seal affixed to them. Many persons therefore,
not rinding the king in England, were obliged to cross the sea, and to pay
whatever fine he imposed for having the new seal affixed to their charters." —
31. Paris.

88 ROGER OF WENPOVER. [A.D. 1190.

should, under the Lord's guidance, hasten their departure for
Jerusalem at the same time. A form of agreement for the
preservation of peace between the two countries was, at the
feast of St. Hilary, made in the presence of the bishops and
nobles of both kingdoms, and having been confirmed by oath
between the two sovereigns, it was committed to writing as
follows, " I, Philip, king of the French, will keep good faith
with Richard king of the English, as my friend and ally for
life, for limb, and worldly honour ; and I, Richard, king of the
English, promise to keep the same good faith with the king of
the French as my lord and friend, for life, and for limb. We
also agree to lend aid each of us, if necessary, in defending
the territories of the other as zealously as if they were his
own possessions." The nobles and barons of both kingdoms
swore not to depart from their fealty to their kings, or to
make war, till forty days should have passed in peace after
the return of the sovereigns, and both of the kings joined in
this oath. The archbishops and bishops of both kingdoms
swore to promulgate the sentence of excommunication against
those who should break through this compact. It was also
determined that if either king should die on the expedition,
the survivor should take charge of the treasure and forces
of the deceased, to fulfil the service which they owed to
God. As they were not able to settle this treaty definitively
they delayed the business till the feast of St. John's nativity,
in order that the sovereigns and all the crusaders might
assemble without fail at Vizelai, to enter upon their pilgri-
mage to the Holy Land. " And if any shall attempt to con-
travene," such were the words of the treaty, "this our
agreement, their lands shall be laid under the interdict of the
church, and their persons be excommunicated. Having thus
arranged matters they broke up the conference.*

How William bishop of Ely was appointed chancellor.

Richard king of England, sent ambassadors, in conjunction
with others sent by William bishop of Ely, to pope Clement,
and obtained from that pontiff a decree as follows. " We,
Clement the pope, greeting, — The laudable request of our well

* "About the same time Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury held a
council at Westminster, at which he bade farewell to his brethren and set
out for the Holy Land, in magnificent array." — M. Paris.

A.D. 1190.] MASSACRE OF JEWS. 89

beloved son in the Lord, Richard the renowned king of the
English, we in our apostolic office, have decreed to entrust to
thy brotherly care the duty of chancellor in all England,
Wales, in the archbishoprics of Canterbury and York, and in
those parts of Ireland in which John earl of Moreton, brother
of the king, holds power and authority given this 2nd of
June, in the third year of our pontificate."

How the archbishop of Canterbury suspended bishop Hugh,

In this year, Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury wrote to
Richard bishop of London as follows : " Whilst we were at
Rouen, we suspended from the performance of his sacred duties,
our brother Hugh of Coventry, for having, without regard
to the dignity of his episcopal rank, usurped the office of
.sheriff ; but on his faithfully promising to resign into our
hands the charge of the sheriff's office, and never again to
busy himself with affairs of this kind, we thought him
deserving of absolution. We, therefore, send this same
bishop to you with this our letter, ordering you, in con-
junction with the bishop of Rochester and our clerks,
without fail, to appoint a time and place to hear and make
a just decision concerning the charges for which that prelate
was suspended by us.

Of the massacre of the Jews in sundry places.
In this same year, many persons throughout England who
were about to journey to Jerusalem, determined previous to
their departure, to cause a rising against the Jews. This
first broke out at Norwich, where the Jews, as many as
could be found, were slain in their own houses ; some few,
however, escaped, and took refuge in the castle at that place.
After this, on the 7th of March, many were slain at Stamford
on market day ; on the 18th day of March fifty-seven were
said to have been slaughtered at St. Edmund's ; thus,
wherever the Jews were found they were slain by the hands
of the crusaders, except those who were protected by the
municipal officers. But we must not believe that such a
massacre of the Jews was pleasing to wise men, since it is
written, " Do not kill them, lest my people should forget."

Of the dreadful slaughter of the Jews at York.

In the same year, during Lent, that is, on the 15th of

90 KOGER, OF WENDOVER. [A/D- H^O.

March, the Jews of the city of York, to the number of five
hundred, besides women and children, through fear of an
attack on the part of the Christians, by permission of the
sheriiF and the governor of the castle, shut themselves up in
that fortress, and when the garrison required them to give
up possession of it, they refused to do so. On this refusal,
repeated attacks were made both by day and night, and at
length the Jews after reflecting, offered a large sum of money
for their lives, but this was refused by the people. Then
one of them skilled in the law, rose and addressed his com-
panions thus, " Oh, men of Israel, hear my counsel. It is
better, as our law instructs us, to die for our law than to fall
into the hands of our enemies." This being agreed to by
all, each head of a family came with a sharp razor, and cut
the throats first of his wife, sons, and daughters, and after-
wards of all his family, and threw the dead bodies, which
they considered as sacrificed to devils, on the Christians
outside the castle ; they then shut themselves up in the
king's house, and setting fire to it, both living and dead were
burned together with the buildings. After this the citizens
and soldiers burned the Jews' houses, with the papers of their
debtors, but retained their money for their own use.

Geoffrey, archbishop elect of York, is ordained a priest.

At that time, bishop William, the king's chancellor and
justiciary of England, levied a tax of two palfreys and two
chargers on each city of England, and of one palfrey and
one charger on each of the abbacies. At this time, too,
John bishop of Whithern, a suffragan of the church of
York, ordained Geoffrey archbishop of York elect, to the
priesthood. At the same time, the election of the aforesaid
Geoffrey was confirmed by pope Clement, who, amongst
other things, in a letter which he wrote to the chapter ot
York, added these words, " We therefore admonish the
whole brotherhood of you, and command you by these our
apostolic writings, that you pay reverence and honour to
him as your prelate, that you may thereby prove yourselves
praiseworthy in the sight both of God and man. Given at
the Lateran, on the 7th of March, in the third year of our
pontificate."

A.D. 1190.] BUILDING OF A CHAPEL AT ACRE. 91

Of the array of the Christian army at the siege of Acre*
The army of the Christians at this time before Acre was
disposed as follows :— In front of mount Musardus, near the
sea, were the Genoese ; after them came the hospitallers and
the marquis of Montferrat ; next in succession were Henry
count of Champagne, Guy of Duinperc, and the count of
Brenne ; next came the counts of Bar and Chalons, and after
them, Robert of Dreux and the bishop of Beauvais ; then
followed the bishop of Besangon, and near him towards the
plain were count Theobald, the count of Claremont, Hugh
de Gournay, Otho de Treson, Florentius de Haugi, and
Walkeline de Ferrars : then came the Florentines, next the
bishop of Cambray, near whom was the bishop of Salisbury,
with all the English force ; then came the steward of
Flanders, with John de Neele, Odo de Ham, and the
Flemings ; after them were the lord of Hissoldone and the
viscount of Tours, and near them the king of Jerusalem, and
Hugh of Tabaria, with their kinsmen ; next were the templars
and James d'Avennes, besides whom, were the Landegrave
and the count of Geldres, with the Germans, Dacians,
Teutons, and Frieslanders, between whom the duke of
Suabia had pitched his camp in the neighbourhood of a
mosque ; following them, near a tower, were stationed the
patriarch and bishop of Acre, the bishop of Bethlehem, the
viscount of Chatel-Herault, with Reginald de Fleche, and
Humphry of Tours, and the money changers under Turon ; at
the extremity, near the port, was the archbishop of Pisa,
with the Pisans ; lastly came the Lombards.

A chapel is built at Acre in honour of the blessed martyr Thomas,
About this time, a certain English chaplain, named
William, a familiar of Ralph de Diceto, dean of London,
when on his voyage to Jerusalem, made a vow, that on his
safe arrival at the port of Acre, he would, at his own
expence, build a chapel in honour of the blessed martyr
Thomas, and would cause a cemetery to be consecrated to
that saint, which vow he fulfilled. Many from all directions
flocked together to the service of this chapel, and William, by
the decision of all the Christians, took the name of prior,
and to show his devotion as a soldier of Christ, made it his
business to attend to the poor, and especially to the burial of
the bodies of those who perished from disease, as well as
those slain in battle.

92 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1190.

Of the chiefs of Saladin's army.

The chiefs in Acre under Saladin were as follow : —
Caracos, who had been made a knight by Corboran at the
siege of Antioch, and who had also brought up Saladin, and
with him Gemaladin, Gurgi, Suchar, Simcordoedar, Bel-
hagessemin, Fecardincer, and Cerantegadin. The chiefs of
the army were these : his four brothers, Saphadin, Felkedin,
Sefelselem, Melkalade ; his three sons, Miralis, Melcaleth,
Melcalezis; his two nephews, Techaedin and Benesemedin,
and the chiefs Coulin, Elaisar, Bederim, and Mustop
Hazadinnersel. All these chiefs held authority over the
provinces of Joramma, Rotassia, Bira, the Persians, the
Turks, the Hemsiensians, Alexandria, Damietta, Aleppo, and
Damascus, and of all the country beyond the Euphrates, ex-
tending to the Red Sea, and beyond it towards Barbary.
Metalech ruled over Babylon, and to the four brothers of
Saladin were entrusted the provinces of Abesia, Leeman, the
Moors, Nubia, Caesarea, Ascalon, Amira, Bedreddin, Ami-
rasen, Nazareth, Neopolis, Camele, Mustoplice, and Maruch ;
Hazadinneassar had charge of Mount Royal, Crach, Corisin,
and part of Armenia, but Saladin was the sovereign ruler
over all of them.

How the battering engines of the Christians were burned by the Saracens.

In the same year, Greek fire was hurled by the Saracens
who were blockaded in the city of Acre, upon the engines
which the Christians at great expense had constructed for
subduing the city, and this instantly spreading abroad, re-
duced them all to ashes ; this took place on the fifth of May.

How traitors were discovered among the Christians.

At this same time, Anser of Mount Royal revealed a con-
spiracy which he in conjunction with the bishop of Beauvais,
count Robert his brother, Guy of Duinperc, the Landegrave,
and the count of Geldres, had entered into with Saladin,
and for which they had received from that prince thirty
thousand bezants and a hundred marks of gold, besides a
bribe of four camels, two leopards, and four falcons received
by the Landegrave, for which and for other gifts they had
agreed to put off the attack on the city, and had allowed
their battering forts to be burned.

a. d. 1190.] of king Richard's navy. 93

King Ricaard's letter on behalf of his chancellor.

At this same time, Richard king of England issued letters
to all his liege subjects throughout England, as follows :
" Richard, by the grace of God, &c. We command and
enjoin you, that as you regard us and our kingdom, as well
as yourselves and your possessions, ye be in all things
obedient to our friend and well-beloved chancellor, the
bishop of Ely, in all things which tend to our welfare, and
that ye act for him in all his commands on our behalf, as if
we ourselves were in the kingdom. Witness myself at
Bayoiine."

Of the commanders of king Richard's navy, and the laws made against

malefactors.

About that time, king Richard, in a council of nobles,
chose and appointed Gerard archbishop of Auxienne, Bernard
bishop of Barvia, Robert des Sables, Richard de Canville, and
William de Foret, to be justiciaries over the combined navy
of England, Normandy, Brittany, and Poictou, which was
about to sail for the Holy Land, and delivered letters patent
to them as follow : " Richard, by the grace of God, king of
England, to all his subjects about to sail to the Holy Land,
greeting : Know all men, that we by the advice of our good
council, have made these laws : — Whoever on board ship
shall slay another shall be bound to the dead man, and cast
into the sea with him ; if any one shall kill another on land,
he shall be bound to the dead man and buried with him ; if
any one shall be convicted of having drawn a knife to strike
another, or shall draw blood from another, he shall lose his
hand ; if any one strikes another, he shall be dipped three
times in the sea; whoever shall offer insult, or reproach,
or curse his companion, shall be fined as many ounces of
silver as times he shall have so insulted him ; a robber con-
victed of theft shall have boiling pitch poured on his head,
and a shower of ashes scattered thereon to know him, and
he shall be set adrift at the first place the ships touch at."
He caused an oath to be administered to each and all, that
they would keep these laws, and would obey the before-
named j usticiaries ; after which he ordered the commanders
of his navy to set sail and meet him at Marseilles.

94 ROGER OF WENDOVER. | A.D. 1190.

How king Richard received the scrip and staff at Vizelai.

In this year the French and English kings met on the
octaves of St. John the Baptist at Vizelai, where the body
of St. Mary Magdalene is buried, and stayed there two days ;
here the king of the English received the staff and scrip in
the church of St. Denis. After this the kings with all their
forces set out for Lyons, on the Rhone, where, when they
and a great part of their armies had crossed the bridge,
it broke, and many of both sexes were drowned. After this
the kings separated, because one place was not large enough
to hold such large forces when united ; the king of the
French took the road to the city of Genoa, and the king of
England towards Messina ; and on the arrival of the latter
at that place he found there many pilgrims who, owing to
their long stay there, had spent all their money : of these,
king Richard kept many and united them to his army.
After having stayed at this place eight days in expectation of
the arrival of his navy, finding himself deceived in his hopes,
he collected together ten large busses, and nine well armed
galleys, and embarked in these vessels, being anxious on account
of the delay of his fleet ; and in the mean time, that he might
not appear inactive, he sailed with a strong armed force,
passing by the island of St. Stephen, Aquileia and the Black
Mountain, the island of St. Honoratus, the city of Meis,
and a city called Wintilimine. Thence he made his journey
to the castle of Seine, and on the day he reached it he had an
interview with the king of the French, who was lying ill
there. On the 14th of August the king of the English
reached the port of Dauphin, and stayed there five days.
Whilst at this place the king of the French sent to ask him
to supply him with five galleys ; the English king offered
him three, but they were refused by the French king. On
the 24th of August the king came to the harbour of Portes-
weire, which is half way between Marseilles and Messina,
and so passing different places he entered the river Tiber,
near the mouth of which there is a fine tower. At this place
he was met by Octavian bishop of Ostia, with a message on
behalf of the pope, that the king would visit him : this the
king refused, upbraiding the bishop for the simony and
greediness of the Romish priests, and many other charges,

A. D. 1190.] KING RICHARD EMBARKS. 95

adding, that they had been paid seven hundred marks for
the consecration of the bishop of Maine, that they had
received fifteen hundred marks of silver for granting the
legateship to William bishop of Ely, and moreover of having
received a large sum of money from the archbishop of Bour-
deaux, who was accused of a crime by his clerks, and so
after his refusal to visit Rome, he entered Apuleia near the
town of Capua.

How king Richard appointed his nephew Arthur to be his heir.

At this time Tancred king of Sicily (who had succeeded
to king William), in order to keep on peaceable terms with
king Richard, gave to that king twenty thousand ounces of
silver in discharge of all his claims against him, and the same
quantity of gold as a quit-claim of the will, which king
William had made in favour of king Henry, Richard's father,
and in consideration of the marriage which had been agreed
to be contracted between Arthur duke of Brittany and the
daughter of king Tancred ; on which king Richard appointed
the before named Arthur his heir, in case of his dying with-
out any lawful heir, after which he set out on his pilgrimage.

How queen Eleanor, on leaving her son, left Berengaria with him.

At this time queen Eleanor, determined to follow the route
of her son the king, and crossing mount Janus and the plains
of Italy, she at length came up with him ; and after spending
four days with him, she by his permission, returned to Eng-
land, leaving with her son, Berengaria daughter of the king
of Navarre, whom Richard was about to marry ; for king
Richard had given to the king of the French ten thousand
pounds as a quit-claim for his marriage with that monarch's
sister ; and, by that agreement too, the king of the French
had ever resigned all his claim to the castle of Gisors and
the whole of the Vexin. In this same year too Frederic, the
Roman emperor, in the fortieth year of his reign, passed
through Bulgaria on his way to Jerusalem, and in marching
from Iconium to Antioch, whilst his army safely passed the
river Saphet, the emperor fell from his horse into the stream
and was drowned.

96 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1190.

How the blessed martyr Thomas appeared to the commanders of king

Richard's navy.

In the same year the king of England's fleet was exposed
to many dangers : on their voyage towards Lisbon they had
doubled the promontory called Godesterre, and having passed
Brittany with St. Matthew of Finisterre on their left, and the
ocean, on which was their route to Jerusalem, on the right,
they left Poictou and Gascony on their left. On the day of
our Lord s ascension they were in the Spanish sea, when a
dreadful tempest came on them, which dispersed the fleet
immediately. In the raging of the storm, whilst all in their
alarm were calling on the Lord, the blessed martyr Thomas
archbishop of Canterbury, appeared at three different times
to three different persons who were on board the ship of the
Londoners, and said to them, " Be not afraid, for I, and the
blessed martyr Edmund, and St. Nicholas the confessor, have
been appointed by the Lord, guardians of the king of Eng-
land's fleet; and if the crews and commanders of the fleet
will guard themselves against sin, and repent of their former
offences, God will grant them a prosperous voyage and direct
their ways in his paths." These words were heard to^be
thrice repeated, after which the blessed Thomas disappeared
and the storm forthwith ceased. Amongst the crew of that
ship were, one called William with the beard, William Fitz
Osbert, and Geoffrey the gold -worker, and with them
many citizens of London. These had now passed Lisbon
and Cape St. Vincent, and had neared the city of Seville,
which was then the extreme of Christendom in Spain; in-
deed the Christian faith was as yet in its infancy there, for it
was only the year before that it became Christian, and had
been wrested from the power of the pagans. The crew of
the London ship, steering near the city, found by certain
indications that Christians dwelt there; they therefore put
in, and were received with much honour by the bishop and
all the rest of the inhabitants. There were on board this
ship more than eighty well armed youths, whom the people
of the city and the king of Portugal retained in their service
for fear of the emperor of Morocco, giving them every kind
of security for the pay they required, and a promise of large
gifts in addition. Besides this ship, ten more of the English

A.D. 1190.] PHILIP AND RICHARD AT MESSINA. 97

fleet which, with their crews, had been dispersed here and
there, at length, by the grace of God, arrived at the city of
Lisbon by way of the river Tagus. Afterwards the arch-
bishop of Auxia, Robert des Sables, Richard de Canville,
and William de Fortz, taking their course between Africa
and Spain, after many storms, arrived, on the octaves of
St. Mary, at Marseilles, with the whole of the fleet which was
under their charge, and, finding the king there, they stopped
to attend to the necessary repairs of the ships.

How Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury, and some others landed at Tyre,

About the same time Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury,
Hubert bishop of Salisbury, and Ralph de Glanville, formerly
justiciaries of England, who had preceded the king of
England on the voyage to Jerusalem, making a direct course,
left Sicily on the left hand, and, after experiencing many
dangers, arrived at Tyre about Michaelmas. John bishop of
Norwich, however, went to the pope, and having obtained
his permission, there laid aside the cross of the Lord, and so
having cleared out his baggage, he returned to England
absolved from his vows.*

Of a quarrel between the kings at Messina.

On the 16th of September in this same year Philip the
French king arrived at Messina, and was entertained in king
Tancred's palace ; king Richard arrived on the 23rd of
the same month, but was not allowed ingress to the city, for
the French were afraid that the provisions would not suffice
for the multitudes who followed the two kings. Richard, on
learning this, sent his marshals to the elders of the city,
requesting them to sell provisions to his army that they
might not be pressed by want ; the citizens wished to open
their gates and to treat such a great prince hospitably, but
the French would not permit them, but climbed the walls
in arms and resolved to defend the gates. At this king
Richard ordered his troops to fly to arms, and to force an

* M. Paris amplifies this sentence as follows : " He also offered money,
which the pope received with avidity. Thus he easily obtained licence to
depart, and emptying his baggage, that it might not be too heavy for him,
he returned to England absolved from his vow, leaving behind him a dis-
graceful example to the army."

VOL. n. H

98 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1190.

entrance for himself and his followers, in spite of their
enemies. The troops obeyed the king's commands, attacked
the gates, forced their way into the city, and, after slaying
many of the French, they, with the king at their head, put
the rest to flight. When this event came to the ears of the
French king he conceived the most violent indignation
against the king of the English, and he never dispossessed
himself of it as long as he lived ; nevertheless the two kings
had a peaceable interview on the same day and made no
mention of what had taken place.

How king Richard subdued some fortresses.

On the 24th of September in this year, the king of the
French embarked, but as the wind was unfavourable he
returned the same day to Messina. On the 30th of Septem-
ber king Richard crossed the river Var, and took a very
strongly fortified place in Calabria, called Labamare, and,
putting in it his sister Joanna, formerly queen of Sicily, he
returned to Messina. The next day he took a fortress called
the monastery of the Griffbnes, between Messina and Calabria;
at this place the Griffbnes making an attack on Hugh Brun
earl of March, were driven back by king Richard, on which
they closed the gates of the city, and betook themselves to
the ramparts, and from thence slew and wounded several of
the king's men and horses. The king, enraged at this,
attacked and forced the gates, and took the city, and on the
4th of October placed followers of his own in it, and on the
following day the elders of the city gave hostages for the
due observance of peace by them ; after this he there built
a castle which was called Mate- Griffon. At this time a
provincial council, of which William bishop of Ely, the legate
of the apostolic see, was president, was held at Westminster
on the 15th of October, but at this little or nothing was done
for the edification of the English church.

How the Norman church was freed from the yoke of slavery.

At this time the church of God in Normandy, with king
Richard's consent, was freed from its long endured yoke of
slavery. In the first place it was determined and granted by
the king, with regard to clerks, that on no occasion should
they be taken by the secular authority, as had been the

A.D. 1190.] DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP BALDWIN. 99

custom, unless for murder, theft, arson, or crimes of the like
enormity; but that, immediately on the requisition of the
ecclesiastical judges, they should be handed over for judgment
in the ecclesiastical courts. Also that in general, all questions
of breach of faith or breaking an oath should be decided on
in the ecclesiastical court. Also all questions of dowry, or
marriage gifts, where goods or live stock were claimed, were
to be referred to the church's arbitration. Also that in con-
ventual establishments the election of abbats, priors, and
abbesses should be with the consent of their bishop. Also
that the secular courts should have no cognizance where
ecclesiastics could prove that, by deed or otherwise the estate
was eleemosynary, but that it should be referred to the
decision of ecclesiastic judges. Also that the disposal of pro-
perty bequeathed by will should rest with the church autho-
rities; and that no tenth part, as heretofore, should be
deducted. Also with regard to the goods of clerks, although
they were said to be usurers, that, however they might die, the
secular authorities should have no power, but that their pro-
perty should be distributed by the episcopal authority in
works of piety. Also that whatever property laymen might
have disposed of in their life time, by whatsoever title they
had aliened it, although they might be called usurious, the
same should not be revoked after their death ; but that what-
ever should be found unaliened after their death, if it could
be proved that they were usurious at the time of their death,
should be confiscated. Also that if a person deceased should
have any pledge by which he had gained any interest, his
portion should revert to the depositor of the pledge, or to his
heirs ; the same should be done with the portions of his wife
and children after their death. If any one should be over-
taken by sudden death or by any event, so that he could not
dispose of his property, the distribution of it should rest with
the church authorities.

Of the death of Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury.

At this time Baldwin archbishop of Canterbury, being at
the point of death at Acre, bequeathed all his property to
assist the crusade in the Holy Land, and after his decease
Hubert bishop of Salisbury, who had been appointed by the
archbishop, his executor, faithfully distributed his property

h 2

100 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1190.

on pious uses. Being chiefly anxious about the sentries of
the camp, he paid, as the archbishop had in his life time
determined to do, fixed salaries for several days to twenty
knights and fifty of their attendants : he always took on him-
self the care of the poor, casting the eye of compassion on the
helpless, and in all respects fulfilling the duties of a good pre-
late. But the city of Acre, notwithstanding the numerous
assaults of the Christians, resolutely held out* for it was
surrounded by strong walls, and was well garrisoned and
supplied with warlike engines ; moreover Saladin's army
surrounded the besiegers on all sides, from which cause as
well by the withdrawal of some of the Christians as by the
numbers who were slain, the army of Christ was much
diminished; nevertheless the Christians, having confidence
in the consolation of Christ, were in hopes of being able to
endure the hardships and toils of the siege until the arrival
of the kings, if they should reach them by the ensuing
Easter, but if not, then their money would fail, and all hope
of earthly assistance would vanish.*

Of the pride of William bishop of Ely, and chancellor of England.

At this time William, justiciary of England and legate of
the apostolic see, caused a deep trench to be dug round the
tower of London, hoping to be able to bring the waters of the
Thames into the city, but after expending much from the
treasury his labour proved fruitless. Moreover this same
chancellor had become very great amongst all the people of
the west, in England he was both a king and priest, and he
paid no regard to anything, whilst he was not contented with
the episcopal dignity alone, but showed that his thoughts were
bent on things too high for him ; for he showed his vanity
and haughtiness by saying at the beginning of all his letters
" We, William, by the grace of God bishop of Ely, chancellor
of our lord the king, justiciary of all England, and legate of

* " Saladin continually hovered over the besieging army, and did them as
much harm as he eouj^ lllfl Mil I 'liilUinn&received much damage at his
hands. If we ny^^j^£. tfteT r^fEBf/fj^fl^ then received privately
many pre6ents^ro^jJkEiiMn', lianiLlyT^px^wfes^i^wels, gold of the finest
quality, and ime l^sK^tluable of all, a coat^sJ <|ham which no spear could
penetrate. rfi(4i|ir|, exc^ngMrfi*p^i^lity\ing^vliling his own avarice,
said to his mAi,3GlAi him goofijvgggrbat is hjs §n Jif he likes to do so.'"

A.D. 1191.] MORTALITY AT ACRE. 101

the apostolic see, greeting, &c." He exercised to an immo-
derate excess the dignities which he had obtained by bribery,
endeavouring to repair the sacred establishments which he
had despoiled for the sake of acquiring his honours. He dis-
tributed money at his tables, so that he might come again
and extort the same with interest, for he performed the duty
of the legateship, which he had acquired at the expense of a
thousand pounds of silver, so immoderately that he became
burdensome to all the establishments of England, both con-
ventual and cathedral ; indeed he travelled through England
with an array of fifteen hundred attendants, and accompanied
by crowds of clerks, and surrounded by a troop of soldiers,
neglecting all things which belonged to the dignity of his
episcopal station. He was waited on at his table by all the
sons of the nobility whom he had married to his nieces and
female relatives, and all those whom he kept as his attendants
thought themselves lucky. Never was there land for sale,
which he did not purchase, never was there a church or
abbacy vacant which he did not dispose of or retain for him-
self, nor any castles or towns of which he would not either by
threats or bribes obtain the guardianship ; by these acts and
many others of like character he struck terror into the
people. The kingdom of England was silent in his presence,
and no one murmured, for there remained in England no
power to resist him. His train was composed of —

"Ambubaiarum collegia, pharmacopolse,
Mendici, mimse, balatrones, hoc genus omne."

So that he on earth was followed by all kinds of music and
singing, as the holy angels follow the all-powerful God in
heaven. He acted entirely in such a way that he seemed to
strive to put himself on a level with God, but the end of all
this will be related in the subsequent history in due time.*

Of the mortality at Acre.

a.d. 1191. After the death of the venerable Baldwin
archbishop of Canterbury, nobles and knights of well-tried
powers died at the siege of Acre, as was said, from the
unheal thiness of the atmosphere ; amongst; these were Ralph

* " Having obtained the legatine power from the pOpe^Jie iield a council
at Westminster. W. bishop of Worcester and W. abb'at of Westminster,
died on the 28th of March ."— M. Paris. t

102 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1191.

de Fulcher, count Robert of Perche, Theobald of Blois,
count Stephen, his brother, the count and son of the emperor
Frederick, the earl of Ferrars, earl Robert of Leicester;
Ralph de Glanville, Ralph Hauterive, the archdeacon of
Colchester, and innumerable others besides. The French
and English kings, in the meantime, were waiting in Sicily
the arrival of spring to avoid the dangers of a voyage by
winter. In this year too, pope Clement, after filling the
apostolic chair for fourteen months, died, and was succeeded
by Celestine, formerly called Hyacinthus.

How Philip king of the French, and Richard king of the English,
embarked at Messina.

On the 29th of March in this year, the French king
embarked at Messina and made sail direct for Jerusalem.
On the 10th of April he was followed by king Richard in
great pomp with a fleet consisting of thirteen busses with
three masts besides a hundred transports and fifty triple
banked galleys ; after a passage of twenty days they neared
the island of Rhodes, and ten days after they put into
Cyprus. But Cursac, the ruler of the island, who had
assumed the title of emperor, came with a strong armed
force to prevent the king's entering the harbour, and made
prisoners several of his followers who were shipwrecked,
robbed them, and cast them into prison to die of hunger.
The English king, burning with rage, attacked this enemy
and soon defeating him, took and detained him prisoner, and
reduced to submission his only daughter and the whole of the
island with all the fortified places. Cursac made an agree-
ment with the king that he was not to be kept in iron chains,
and the king to keep his word caused him to be bound in
chains of silver, and ordered him to be placed in a castle
near Tripoli, called Margeth ; but his daughter with the two
queens he kept honourably guarded in his own house. King
Richard had, for the sake of refreshing himself and his
followers after their tedious voyage, and of procuring an
increase of fresh provisions, determined to stop at this island,
without doing damage to any one, but the above named
Cursac forbade him to attempt entering his territories ; more
than this he had forbidden any of his subjects to sell provi-
sions to the English king's army, or to expose articles to

A.D. 1191.] THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK IMPRISONED. 103

them for sale, and by these means he roused the mind of the
king to anger, and forced him to inflict on him the before
named injury. When at length the king had obtained
possession of all the money of the island, and had arranged
all matters to his satisfaction ; he there married Berengaria,
daughter of the queen of Navarre, the same whom queen
Eleanor had brought to him whilst he was staying in Sicily.
On the 4th day of Easter week in this year, pope Celestine
consecrated as emperor, Henry son of the emperor Frederick.
In this year too, Philip count of Flanders, who had sailed for
the Holy Land with the king of the French, died without
leaving any children.

How Geoffrey, archbishop of York, was imprisoned at Dover.

About this same time, by command of the supreme pontiff,
Bartholomew, archbishop of Tours, ordained Geoffrey, elect
of York, a bishop, and he, after his consecration, set out for
England, and arrived with his followers at Dover. Matthew
de Clere sheriff of that county had shortly before received a
letter from William bishop of Ely, to this effect, " We order
you that if the bishop elect of York shall arrive at any port
in your jurisdiction, or any messengers of his, you cause him
to be detained until you receive orders from us regarding
him ; we likewise order you that you cause to be detained all
letters of our lord the pope or of any great man, which may
come to those parts." Matthew therefore, on learning the
arrival of the archbishop, with the advice of the bishop of
Ely's sister, who then had the charge of the castle, was not
slow to fulfil his instructions ; for six days he with a band
of armed men besieged him in the priory of St. Martin, and
reduced him to such straits that in the meantime it was with
difficulty that provisions which he obtained from charity
could be brought to him ; for the treachery of the disaffected
increased daily, and the soldiers of the bishop of Ely came to
the above named church with staves, and rushing armed into
the archbishop's presence peremptorily ordered him to leave
the kingdom without delay and to sail for Flanders. On his
refusal to obey this mandate, with his robe over his shoulders,
and the cross in his hands, he was violently dragged from
before the altar by his feet, arms, and legs, with his head
beating against the ground, and, together with his clerks and

104 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1191

religious men, who had come to see him from many quarters,
was taken to the castle and thrown into a dungeon, where he
was kept close prisoner for eight days. This treatment
coming to the knowledge of the bishop of London, that
prelate immediately went to the chancellor, and with much
difficulty after many entreaties obtained the archbishop's
release, being obliged to give his whole bishopric as security
for him. The archbishop therefore, released from prison,
came to London, where he was received by the bishop, clergy,
and people, with all honours and in solemn procession. This
rash presumption, as the following history will show, after-
wards redounded very much to the disgrace of the chancellor.

A remarkable eclipse of the sun.

In the month of June in the same year, on Sunday, the
eve of St. John the Baptist, there appeared about the sixth
hour of the day, an eclipse of the sun, which lasted till the
eighth hour, the moon being twenty seven days old and the
sun being in the sign of Cancer.

How king Richard took a ship called a dromund.

On the 21st of March* in that year, Philip king of the
French landed at Acre, and Richard following him, embarked
at Cyprus with a large stock of provisions. He heard that
the French king's army was suffering at Acre from hunger
and scarcity to such a degree, that a quart of corn cost sixty
marks, and he therefore hastened to the relief of such distress
and misery with his ships loaded with large quantities of
corn. Whilst he was sailing with a fair wind towards Acre,
which city was formerly called Ptolemais, there came in
sight on the 6th of June, a very large ship, called a dromund,
which had been sent loaded with an immense sum of money
from the city of Baruch, by Saladin's brother, Salahadin,
Soldan of Babylon, to carry assistance to the pagans who
were besieged in Acre. On board this vessel they had Greek
fire, and many pots of fiery serpents ; and the crew consisted
of fifteen hundred warriors, besides fifteen hundred strong
men by whose aid the ship might be strengthened. King
Richard immediately ordered his followers to prepare for

* Some mistake in date here : Philip only left Messina on the 29th of
March.

A.D. 1191.] THE CAPTURE OF ACRE. 105

action, and on the galleys nearing one another a fierce attack
commenced on both sides, but the hostile ship became help-
less on account of the wind failing. At length one of the
king's rowers, who was a skilful diver, approached the pagan
vessel under water, and bored a hole in it, after doing which,
under Christ's protection, he returned to his own ship and
told the king what he had done. The water entering in a
short time rose over the deck of the ship, and the crew, who
before trusted to their bulwarks, soon lost all hope of escape ;
thirteen hundred of these were drowned by king Richard's
order, the surviving two hundred he kept as hostages.

Of king Richard's arrival at Acre, and the capture of that city.

King Richard, after collecting all the spoils of the pagan
ship approached the port of Acre, whither he was bound,
with a favouring wind. At length on the 8th of June the
king entered the harbour, and the shrill sound of clarions, the
braying of trumpets, with the horrid din of the horns filled
the air near the shore, and resounded for a distance round
inland; this event animated the Christians to battle, but-
struck terror into the besieged Saracens, for it proclaimed
the arrival of this great chief. King Richard showed his
generous feelings to all by supplying food to the famished
army. The two kings then, attended by crowds of knights
and soldiers, arranged stone engines and other machines
around the city, and by the weight of their missiles, and con-
stant use of these engines day and night, they battered the
walls of the city so that the infidels were panic-struck, lost
all confidence in their power of resistance, and at length held
a council, and began to treat of peace. The conditions of
the agreement were, that, for the ransom of the garrison,
Saladin should restore the true cross, which he had taken in
battle, and should release fifteen hundred captive Christians,
to be chosen by them, and in addition to the above stated
agreement should pay seven thousand bezants. Thus the
city, with the arms and everything in it, excepting only the
persons of the Saracens, was happily surrendered to the two
kings on the 1 2th of July. When the appointed day of pay-
ment arrived Saladin did not fulfil his agreement. To punish
this great transgression, therefore, about two thousand six

106 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1191.

hundred were beheaded, only a few of the most noble were
saved and placed in prison at the disposal of the kings.

How the French king through envy returned to his own country.

After the city was subdued, the king of the French made
arrangements to return home, as though the war was entirely
an end ; for he was annoyed beyond measure at all the credit
of the success of the Christian army being given to king
Richard. Pleading, therefore, want of money and poverty
as his excuses, he said he could not stay there any longer ;
but the English king Richard, who had a burning desire to
promote the cause of the crusade, on hearing this, promised
that he would supply the king of the French with a share of
all he possessed, in money as well as in his supplies of pro-
visions, horses, arms, and ships, in order that they might
unitedly endeavour to drive the enemies of Christ from the
Holy Land. But in as much as the French king had sworn
to return, and determinately arranged for it, notwithstanding
that his followers loudly exclaimed against it, and the whole
army was greatly excited; he embarked to return to his
country with only a few in his company. Moreover there
had arisen between the two kings a secret disagreement, so
that the king of France proposed to deliver the city of Acre,
and the other cities, castles, and districts, which they might
take, to the marquis of Montferrat, and to appoint him king
of the Holy Land; for this same marquis had married the
daughter of king Almeric, sister of the queen of Jerusalem,
who was lately deceased. King Richard was throughout
opposed to this wish, and plainly proved that it would be
more consistent with right to restore to king Guy his king-
dom, of which he had been some while since deprived, than
to appoint another whilst he yet lived; since it appeared
that he had lost his sovereignty, not through his own indo-
lence, but that, through his boldness in a fierce war, owing
to the number of his enemies, and the weakness of his own
army, he had been taken at the same time as the cross by the
Saracens. This is known to have been the original cause of
discord between the before-named princes, although a differ-
ence had sprung up in the first place, though concealed, at
Messina in Sicily, when king Richard had obtained posses-
sion of the city with an armed force, and destroyed many of

a.d. 1191.] kichard's military success. 107

the followers of the French king, on account of the abuse
and harassing treatment of the English by his army. The
king of the French, therefore, seeing that the people of differ-
ent countries, who had flocked to the Holy Land, placed
themselves under the command of king Richard, and that the
fame of the latter's prowess increased daily, because he was
better supplied with money, more profuse in bestowing gifts,
possessed of a larger army, and was braver in attacking his
enemies, thought that the fame of his own prowess was
dimmed by that of another's, and was therefore in greater
haste to embark. In addition to these reasons, he wished to
possess himself of the territory of the count of Flanders,
who had lately died : therefore after he had pledged his oath
not to invade the territories of the English king or of the
chiefs, who remained with him, he took his departure. King
Richard then caused the trenches and breaches in the walls
of Acre to be repaired, and fortified it with men and arms.

Of king Richard's progress.

After these events, on the eve of the assumption of the
blessed Mary, king Richard, with his fellow warriors, led the
way from the gates of Acre, and boldly set out on his march
to besiege and take the cities on the sea coast ; and he
ordered his camp to be pitched near and in sight of Saladin's
army, at the place where he had caused the two thousand six
hundred of the Saracens, whom the two kings had taken
prisoners at Ptolemais, to be beheaded, as has been before
related. When the report of this event reached the Saracens,
who occupied the maritime cities, they were alarmed lest the
king in his anger should inflict on them a similar punishment
to that of the Ptolemaidans, and having no confidence in
Saladin's assisting them, since he had refused to pay what
was demanded of him for the ransom of the others, they
evacuated their cities and fled immediately on hearing of the
approach of the king. This was the case with the inhabit-
ants of Caiphas, Caesarea, Assur, Joppa, Gaza, and Ascalon,
and thus, by the will of God, all the maritime district in that
part of the country fell into the hands of the Christians.
This did not however result without some severe fighting;
for the army of Saladin followed closely on the Christian
flanks, and in the defiles dreadfully harassed the out-posts,

108 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1191.

from which cause great slaughter often ensued in both
armies. King Richard, therefore, after he had fortified the
cities above named, returned in triumph to Acre.*

But this account which we have given will be more clearly
understood by our giving the letter which Richard sent to
Walter archbishop of Rouen, on this same subject. "Richard,
by the grace of God, king of England, &c. — Know that
our lord the king of the French, has returned home; and
we, after repairing the damage and breaches of the city of
Acre, in order to promote the Christian cause, and to fulfil
the purpose of our vow^ marched to Joppa, in company with
the duke of Burgundy and his French followers, count Henry
and his troops, and many other counts and barons. Whereas
between Acre and Joppa the country is extensive and the
way long; we at length, with much sweat and toil, came
down to Caesarea ; Saladin too lost several of his followers in
this same march. When the army of God had rested some
time at Joppa, we set out again on our proposed march ; and
when our advanced guard had gone forward and was pitching
the camp near Assur, Saladin, with a large host of pagans,
made an attack on our rear guard ; but, by the divine favour,
though only four battalions were opposed to him face to face,
he was put to flight ; they pursued him for one league, and
made such a slaughter of the Saracen nobles on that day,
St. Mary's eve, at Assur, as Saladin for forty years past has
not in one day sustained. After this, under God's guidance,
we came to the city of Joppa, and strengthened it with
trenches and walls ; it being our purpose, wherever we could
reach, to promote the cause of Christianity as much as lay in
our power. Saladin, indeed, since the day of the above
mentioned discomfiture, has not dared to come to a close
engagement with the Christians, but secretly lays snares for
destroying the friends of the cross, as a lion in his den awaits

* Matthew Paris gives this sentence as follows : — " Severe conflicts how-
ever continually took place, in consequence of Saladin 's continually hover-
ing on the Christian army. Thus the king returned triumphant to Acre,
and after a few days went to Joppa, not far from Caesarea, where he gave
Saladin a disgraceful defeat, and obtained a glorious victory. He then
bestowed the kingdom of Jerusalem on his nephew Henry, together with
the widow of the marquis of Montferrat for a wife. At the same time he
redeemed for a large sum of money the relics of many saints, which Saladin
had taken."

A.D. 1191.] HENRY KING OF JERUSALEM. 109

sheep destined for the slaughter. On hearing, however, that
we were marching with haste on Ascalon, he razed that city
to the ground, and now, as if deprived of all plan and delibe-
ration, he leaves all Syria to its fate ; on which account we
take courage, being in good hopes that in a short time the
inheritance of our Lord will be entirely regained. — Farewell,
Farewell."

How king Richard gave the kingdom of Jerusalem to his nephew Henry.

On king Richard's return, as has been mentioned, to
Ptolemais, he gave to his nephew Henry the kingdom of
Jerusalem, with the wife of the marquis of Montferrat, as
she was the heiress to the kingdom, since the death of her
sister the queen of Jerusalem. This arrangement was wil-
lingly agreed to by Guy of Lusignan, formerly the sovereign
of that kingdom, and for securing peace he received the
island of Cyprus, which in the late war had been taken from
the king of that island by the English king, to whom Guy
did homage for it. The marquis had been lately slain at
Tyre by the Saracen assassins ; and at his death, the kingdom
of Jerusalem, as has been said, belonged by hereditary right
to his wife.

How king Richard redeemed all the relics of the Holy Land.

Saladin had some time before made prisoner Guy king
of Jerusalem, and taken the cross of our Lord, soon after
which he laid siege to Jerusalem. The inhabitants, who had
remained in the city, being in consternation at their reverses,
and despairing of being able to resist Saladin, at once sur-
rendered the city to him ; but he allowed none to depart
from it unless they paid ten bezants each as a ransom. The
rich at once ransomed themselves, but seven thousand men
were found in the city, who had not the means of payment ;
but their fellow citizens compassionating their misfortune,
by unanimous consent, took the gold and silver crosses, the
cups and phylacteries, stripped our Lord's sepulchre of its
metal, and the other ornaments found in the churches, and
redeemed their poor townsmen. They also collected all the
relics of the saints which could be found in the sanctuaries,
and put them in four large ivory coffers. Saladin, on the
surrender of the city, amongst other things which he had

110 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1191.

seized, had seen these, and making earnest inquiries what
they contained, he ordered them to be taken to Baldach, and
to be delivered to the caliph, that the Christians might no
longer boast of the bones of dead men, nor believe that they
had, as interceders for them in heaven, those whose bones
they worshipped on earth. But the chief and patriarch of
Antioch and others of the faith, by no means wishing to
be despoiled of such a store of treasure, promised on oath to
pay fifty -two thousand bezants to redeem these same relics,
and if they should fail in payment of the aforesaid money on
the day agreed on, that they would resign the said relics to
him. According to this agreement, the chief of Antioch
took the relics away with him under seal ; and now all the
followers of Christianity were overcome with grief and alarm
because the time for payment fixed by Saladin was approach-
ing, and the beforenamed chief had taken the relics away
with him to restore them sealed, as he received them, to that
prince. But the English king Richard, who was at Furbie,
heard of this, and knowing that the thing had been done in
all due order, at once paid the prearranged sum to Saladin
for the sacred relics, and piously retained the pledges of the
saints, that these men of God, whose bones he had redeemed
from impious hands on earth, might, by their intercession,
assist his soul in heaven. Each coffer was of such a size and
weight that four men could hardly carry it for any length of
time.

The discovery of Arthur, the most famous king of the Britons.

In the same year the bones of Arthur, a renowned king of
Britain, were found buried at Glastonbury, in a very old sarco-
phagus, near which two pyramids stood, and on these, letters
had been carved out, but which were scarcely legible on ac-
count of their roughness and shapelessness. The occasion of
their being found was as follows : — Certain people who were
digging a grave in the same place to bury there a monk,
who had during his life earnestly desired to be buried there,
found a kind of sarcophagus, on which was placed a leaden
cross with these words carved on it : " Here lies the re-
nowned Arthur, king of the Britons, buried in the island of
Avalon." The place is surrounded on all sides by marshes,
and was formerly called the " island of Avalon," that is, the
isle of apples. In this year too, Robert, a canon of the

A. D. 1191.] DISHONESTY OF THE CHANCELLOR. Ill

church of Lincoln, and son of William, seneschal of Nor-
mandy, was at Canterbury consecrated bishop of Winchester,
by William, legate of the apostolic see.

How king Richard had suspicions regarding the chancellor.

At this time the most serious complaints came from day to
day to the king of the pride of his chancellor, and the inju-
ries he inflicted on many ; he therefore wrote to the nobles
of England as follows : — " We Richard, king of England, to
William our marshal, G. Fitz-Peter, H. Bardolph, and
W. Bruyere, &c. If by chance our chancellor, to whom
we entrusted the management of affairs in our kingdom,
shall not have faithfully performed his duties, we order
you to take measures for managing the affairs of the king-
dom at your own discretion, both as regards escheats and
fortresses. At this same time William archbishop of Rouen,
came to England, bearing letters from the king to this effect :
" We Richard, by the grace of God, king of England, to
William, marshal, and others his compeers, greeting. — Know
that we have thought fit, for the defence and arrangement of
our kingdom, to send to you our beloved father William
archbishop of Rouen, who has been recalled from his pil-
grimage by the consent of the supreme pontiff; wherefore
we command and strictly enjoin you that, in the management
of our affairs, you order all things with his advice ; and it is
our will that, as long as we are on our pilgrimage, you
mutually take counsel together in arranging all matters, — he
with you, and you with him." *

Of the disgraceful fall of the chancellor.

In this same year on the Saturday next after Michaelmas,
at the request of earl John, brother of the king of England,
the English nobles assembled near the bridge of the Loddon,
between Reading and Windsor, to hold a conference on
matters of importance to the king and kingdom. But on the
day after the conference, the archbishop of Rouen, as well
as the archbishop of York, and all the bishops who had as-
sembled at Reading to be present at the conference, in

* " This year died pope Clement, and was succeeded by Celestine, by
whom the emperor Henry was crowned on the eve of saint John the Bap-
tist." — ikT. Paris.

112 ROGER OP WENDOVER. [A.D. 1191.

solemn form, with lighted candles, excommunicated all those
who had advised, aided, or commanded the abduction from
the church, and the unworthy treatment and imprisonment of
the archbishop of York, especially naming Albert de Marines,
and Alexander Puintil. On the Monday following, the
before mentioned earl, knowing that the chancellor feared an
attack from him, proposed to him, in order to lull all suspi-
cion, to come to a conference at a safe place near Windsor
Castle, as the chancellor had requested, and gave him a
guarantee for his safety by the bishop of London ; the chan-
cellor, however, not satisfied with this security, fled imme-
diately, and took refuge in the tower of London. The earl
on learning the flight of the chancellor, came himself to
London, but as he was about to enter the city, he was met by
a body of the chancellor's knights, who with drawn swords
made a fierce attack on him and his followers, and slew a
nobleman called Roger de Planes. On the following day,
Tuesday, the said earl with the archbishops, bishops, knights
and barons, assembled in the chapter-house of St. Paul's,
and in the chancellor's presence, after a long discussion,
swore fealty to king Richard ; earl John first took the oath, and
was followed by the two archbishops, and all the bishops,
and the knights and barons assembled. On the Thursday
following this meeting, another conference, at which the
before mentioned nobles were present, was held in the
eastern part of the Tower of London, at which it was defini-
tively determined, by unanimous consent, that the kingdom
of England should not again be under the rule of a man,
by whose conduct the church was degraded, and the people
reduced to want ; for this same chancellor and his satellites
had so exhausted all the wealth of the kingdom, that they
did not even leave a man a silver belt, a woman her necklace,
or a nobleman a ring, or money, or any thing of value to a
Jew ; they had likewise so emptied the king's treasury, that,
after the lapse of two years, nothing could be found in his
coffers except keys and empty vessels. It was also provided,
that all the fortresses, which the chancellor had at will en-
trusted to the charge of his followers, should be given up,
and in the first place the Tower of London ; and these reso-
lutions the chancellor swore he would comply with. In pur-
suance of this, on the following Tuesday he left the Tower

A. D. 1191.] THE CHANCELLOR IN WOMAN'S CLOTHES. 113

with all his household, and crossed the river Thames to
Bermondsey, leaving his brothers Henry and Osbert as se-
curity for the restoration of the castles ; for he had sworn
too that he would not leave the kingdom till the fortresses
had been given up. He thence went to Canterbury, and
took the cross of the holy pilgrimage, laying aside that of the
legateship, which he had borne for a year and a half after the
death of pope Clement, to the detriment as well of the Roman
as the English church. After doing this he went to Dover,
attended by Gilbert bishop of Rochester, and Henry de
Cornhill, sheriff of Kent, and thinking he could blind the
eyes of the sailors there, he invented a new kind of fraud ;
he converted the man into the woman, inasmuch as he ex-
changed the priest's robe for the harlot's gown. He clothed
himself in a woman's green gown, with a cape of the same
colour, and with a hood over his head, he went down to the
beach carrying some linen cloth as if for sale. As the priest
thus disguised was sitting on a rock near the shore waiting
for a fair wind, a sailor who wished for some sport with the
woman, was astonished to find breeches on a female, and im-
mediately shouted aloud, "Come here, all of you, come here !"
said he, " and look at a man in woman's dress ! " A number
of idle women assembled, and eagerly inquired the price of
the cloth which he carried for sale : he made them no answer,
as not understanding the English language, on which they
consulted amongst themselves ; and suspecting him to be an
impostor, they laid hands on the veil which covered his
mouth, and pulling it down from his nose backward, they
discovered the features of a man, dark, and lately shaved.
Immediately they shouted to each other, saying, " Come, let
us stone this monster who is a disgrace to both sexes." A
crowd of men and women got together there, and, tearing
the hood from his head, they threw him down and dragged
him ignominiously by his sleeves and cape over the sand and
stones, injuring the prelate much. At length his followers
came up to release him, but without success, for the people
followed him up with insatiable eagerness, reviled him,
assailed him with blows, spat on him, and after dragging
him through the streets, shut him up as a prisoner in a
cellar. And thus he became an object of derision to the
populace, and would that he had only disgraced himself and
VOL. II. I

114 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1192.

not the whole priesthood; he who had dragged the arch-
bishop of York to prison was himself dragged to prison, —
the captor was made captive, the binder was himself bound,
the incarcerator was incarcerated; so that the degree of
punishment may be considered as commensurate with that of
the offence. At length, regardless of the hostages he had
left, and the oath he had made not to leave the kingdom of
England before the castles were surrendered, the said chan-
cellor crossed sea into Normandy on the 29th of October.

An unheard-of event.
In the same year, a young man of the bishop of London's
household, taught a hawk especially to hunt teals ; and
once, at the sound of the instrument called a tabor by
those who dwelt on the river's bank, a teal suddenly flew
quickly away; but the hawk baffled of his booty, inter-
cepted a pike swimming in the water, seized him, and carried
him apparently forty feet on dry land. The bishop, astonished
at this singular circumstance, sent the hawk and pike, as
a curiosity to future times, to earl John, on the 22nd of
October.

Of the death of Reginald, archbishop elect of Canterbury.

a.d. 1192. Reginald bishop of Bath, who had been
elected to the archbishopric by the monks of Canterbury,
died on Christmas day, twenty-nine days after his appoint-
ment, and was buried in his own church at Bath, near the
great altar.

The king of the French arrived at Paris from his pilgrimage.

About this time the king of the French returned from his
pilgrimage, and was received at Paris in solemn procession,
on the 27th of December.

Of the capture of Darum by king Richard,
After Easter in this same year, king Richard came to
Darum, the last fort of Christendom next to Babylon, and
after a siege of five days took it, and allowed the garrison to
depart on payment of a heavy ransom.

How king Richard took seven thousand camels laden with treasure.

After this victory, the duke of Burgundy came to king
Richard with the French troops, of whom he had, by the

A.D. 1192.] CONQUESTS OF KING RICHARD. 115

authority of the king of the French, been appointed leader
and commander-in-chief ; to this duke, king Richard had at
the preceding festival, given thirty thousand bezants, on
condition of his faithfully standing by him in attacking the
enemies of Christ, and, at a council held by them, they
determined to go without fail to Jerusalem. When king
Richard, with all his army, had reached Castle-Ernald and
Bethonople, near Emaus, some Bedouins, who were under
obligations to the king, brought him news that a large com-
pany of merchants were on their way from Babylon to
Jerusalem, with seven thousand camels, laden with mer-
chandize of various kinds, and that this company was under
the convoy of some of the bravest picked troops of Saladin's
army. The king marched with a few soldiers to meet this
company, and near the Red Well he surprised them all, and
carrying off the camels with their burdens, he liberally dis-
tributed his prize amongst his army. He afterwards returned
to the before mentioned camp, and prudently placed armed
garrisons in each city and castle.*

Of a certain woman who was friendly to the Christians, especially to

king Richard.

King Richard returned victoriously with all his spoil to
Castle-Ernald, which is three miles distant from Jerusalem,
and earnestly exhorted each of the chiefs to march and lay

* " About this time, the duke of Austria came to discharge his vow of
pilgrimage by serving in the Christian army, and to adore the places where
our Saviour had trodden. When his marshals had engaged a lodging for
him, and made the necessary preparations, a Norman knight, of king
Richard's household, came in haste, and beginning foolishly to bluster after
the manner of his nation, asserted that he had the greatest right to those
quarters, by having them assigned to him as first comer. The quarrel
began, and the noise reached the ears of the king, who, showing himself
favourable to the Norman, was inflamed with anger against the duke's
men, and not heeding our Lord's admonition to go and see how matters
were, gave hasty and unbecoming orders that the duke's flag, which had
been erected over his lodgings, should be thrown into a ditch. The duke
thus deprived of a lodging, went, amid the taunt3 of the Normans, to com-
plain of it to the king, but he gained nothing but sneers for his pains ; and
thus, being slighted by the king, he with tears invoked the King of kings
to avenge his wrong, according as it is written, * Vengeance is mine, I will
repay, saith the Lord.' The duke soon after this, returned in confusion to
his own country, and king Richard afterwards blushed with shame at the
deed."

i 2

116 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1192.

siege to Jerusalem, whilst they had such a plentiful sup-
ply of everything, namely, of provisions and beasts of
burden, and reminded them of the great benefits conferred
on them in their pilgrimage by the divine clemency. More-
over, the king was encouraged to this in no slight degree by
a religious woman, a Syrian by country, who dwelt in the
city of Jerusalem. This woman had communicated to him
all the secrets of the city, how frightened and spiritless the
Saracens were become on account of his arrival; she also
told him that all the gates of the city were locked except
St. Stephen's gate, at the north side of the city, near which
she advised him to station his army, and also sent him a key
by means of which he could unlock the gates. After, how-
ever, it had been determined by all to lay siege to Jerusalem,
the duke of Burgundy, taking counsel with the templars and
the French chiefs, was induced to revoke his determination;
they asserted that the duke with all the French, would
incur their lord the French king's severest displeasure, if, by
their aid, king Richard should triumph over so great and re-
nowned a city, and none of the credit of the victory were
ascribed to the duke himself, or to the French, although it
was by them that such a great city was taken.

How the duke of Burgundy was bribed by Saladin, and departed from

the Holy Land.

In the meantime, messengers were sent by the duke to
Saladin, but for what end past and future events will show.
One night, whilst the English king was staying at the before
named camp, and the duke with his followers was at Betho-
nople, a spy of king Richard's, by name Jumaus, heard the
noise of camels and men in motion coming down the moun-
tain : he stealthily followed them, and found that they were
people sent by Saladin to the duke's camp, with" five camels
laden with gold, silver, and merchandize, and with silk
stuffs, and many other presents. The spy hurried back to
his master, and told him all these circumstances, and then
taking some of the king's attendants, set out cautiously on the
road by which the messengers would return, to lie in wait
for them ; and as they were on their way back he took them
prisoners, and brought them into the presence of the king :
one of them, after being put to torture, unwillingly revealed

A.D. 119*2.] PROPHECY OF A HERMIT. 117

all that had passed between Saladin and the duke. At day-
light, the king, after removing the messengers out of sight,
ordered the duke as well as the patriarch and prior of
Bethlehem to be sent for ; and when they were together in
a private place, he immediately made oath in their presence
upon the sacred relics, that he stood prepared, as had been
agreed between them, and confirmed by oath, to march with
his army to the attack of Jerusalem and the city of Baroch,
without possession of which the king of Jerusalem could not
be crowned. After he had sworn thus, the king called on the
duke to take an oath to the same effect ; this the duke
refused to do, at which the king was greatly enraged, and at
once called him a traitor, and reproached him with receiving
various presents from Saladin, and concerning the secret
messengers and communications which had passed between
them. The duke denied, and endeavoured to defend himself
against these accusations, but the king ordered the mes-
sengers whom the spy had made prisoners, to be brought
before them : after they had been brought in, and had
revealed all the secret proceedings, the king ordered his
servants to shoot them in sight of the whole army, although
both armies were ignorant of the reason for such cruelty,
and did not know what those men had done, or whence they
had come. As for the duke, he was so overcome with
shame and rage at being proved a traitor, that, as soon as he
could, he left with the French army, and set out for Acre ;
but the king learning his intention, sent word to the com-
manders of that city not to allow a man of them to enter it,
so they pitched their camp outside the place.

Of a certain hermit, who prophesied that Jerusalem would not be subdued.

On the night after the duke's departure in the manner
described, there came to the king a devotee, who brought
him a message from a holy hermit, to the effect that he
should hasten to see him. The king rose, although it was
night, and taking five hundred attendants with him, went to
the man of God. This holy man had lived for a long time
on the mountain at St. Samuel's, and was endowed with the
spirit of prophecy ; from the day of the capture of our
Lord's cross and the taking of the holy place, he had eaten
nothing but herbs and roots, and wore no other covering than

118 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1192.

that of his hair and lengthened beard. The king gazed for
some time in astonishment at the hermit, and then asked him
what he wanted with him. The holy man, delighted at the
king's arrival, took him with him into his oratory, and there
removing a stone from the wall, he drew forth a wooden
cross, and devoutly held it out to the king, declaring that
without doubt this cross was made from the wood of our
Lord's cross. He also, amongst other things, told the king
that he would not by any means obtain possession of that
country at present, although he had acted most perseveringly,
and, in order that the king might the more readily put faith
in what he said, he declared that he should himself depart
this life on the seventh day from that time. The king, in
order to prove the event of his words, took the hermit with
him to his camp, and, as he had foretold, he died on the
seventh day after.

Of the miserable death of the duke of Burgundy.

On the day after these events the king moved his camp,
and, following the route of the duke of Burgundy, pitched
his camp near that chief outside the city of Acre; but
scarcely had he and his weary army rested for three days,
when there came to him in alarm some messengers, who had
been sent from Joppa with the news that Saladin with his
whole army had laid siege to that city, which they said
would soon be captured, and the knights and soldiers, whom
he had placed there as a garrison, be slain, unless he could
soon bring assistance to the besieged. At receipt of this
intelligence the whole Christian army was thrown into great
alarm and sorrow : amongst the rest king Richard in a state
of great anxiety endeavoured both by his own exertions and
those of others to bring back the offended duke of Burgundy
to terms of agreement and peace, and earnestly begged him
to give his assistance to prevent such a great calamity. That j
chief, however, disdained to listen to their entreaties, and not
wishing to be annoyed by their requests, set out with his
followers that night towards Tyre ; but immediately on his
arrival there he was struck by a visitation of God, and
becoming insane, terminated his life by a miserable death.

A.D. 1192.] RAISING THE SIEGE OF JOPPA. 119

How king Richard forced Saladin to raise the siege of Joppa.

King Richard, after the death of the duke of Burgundy,
embarked on board his ships of war with a small force,
and hastened to Joppa to render assistance to the besieged ;
but owing to the violence of the winds and the heavy sea his
ships were driven in a contrary direction towards Cyprus,
and the inhabitants of Acre, seeing this, suspected that the
king was returning home. But the king and those with him,
in spite of the fury of the winds, by means of strong rowing,
made an oblique course, and on the third day, at glimmer of
dawn, they arrived with but three ships at Joppa. In the
meantime Saladin, after frequent assaults, had now taken the
city, and had slain all the infirm and wounded soldiers, who,
on account of their weakness remained there; but five of
them bolder than the rest, whom Richard had placed there
in charge of the city ; left it and betook themselves to the
castle, where they were debating about surrendering the castle
before they should be compelled to do so by assaults of the
enemy. This they would quickly have done had they not been
forewarned by the patriarch, who was allowed free passage
between the two armies, that the army of Saladin had, to
avenge the deaths of their friends and relatives whom the
English king had beheaded without mercy in many places,
sworn to slay them all, notwithstanding they should have
Saladin's free permission to depart. Thus they were in
great danger of death, and were in doubt as to what they
should do, considering the number and ferocity of their
enemies, and the few there were of themselves, and having
no confidence in the king's coming to assist them ; when
however, they learned that the king had arrived they became
bolder and defended themselves courageously. The king,
knowing from the fierce struggles both of besiegers and
besieged, that the castle of the city was not yet taken, leaped
nimbly into the sea armed as he was, and with his followers,
boldly threw himself like a raging lion into the thickest of the
enemy's troops, hewing them down right and left. The
Turks being unable to endure this sudden attack, and think-
ing that he had brought a more numerous army with him,
soon abandoned the siege, exhorting each other to fly, and
announcing the inopportune arrival of the king ; and their
panic was such that their flight could not be checked till they

120 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1192

entered the city of Ramula, Saladin all the time leading
their rapid flight in his chariot. King Richard having thus
put the enemy to flight, pitched his camp in the plain outside
the city, to the great and unexpected joy of the besieged.

How king Richard with a small force defeated sixty-two thousand pagans

at Joppa.

On the day after his defeat Saladin was told that the king
had come with only a very small army, and that he had no
more than eighty knights, besides four hundred of his cross-
bowmen in company with him, on hearing which he was
greatly enraged and indignant with his army, because they,
so many thousands, had been put to the rout by such a few.
He thereupon, to the confusion of his army, there counted
them out, and issued his imperial edict that sixty-two
thousand of them should return immediately to Joppa, take
the king himself prisoner, and bring him alive on the follow-
ing day into his presence. The king and his army were
resting that night in security, and without fear of any in-
opportune attack, when at daybreak the whole army of the
infidels came up and entirely surrounded the king's camp,
and, that they might have no chance of escaping into the
city, an immense force had stationed themselves between it
and the royal camp. The king and all the Christian forces,
aroused by their bustle and shouting, were wonder-struck at
seeing themselves hemmed in on every side by the enemies of
Christ. The king, however, perceiving their imminent
dangers, immediately armed himself, and mounted his horse as
if he flew with wings, and laying aside all fear of death, as if
he were emboldened by the number of his enemies, encouraged
by his voice his men to the combat ; he himself with eleven
knights, who alone out of the whole number were mounted,
boldly broke through the ranks of the enemy, with his drawn
sword and quivering lance, and dealt thundering blows
with his clashing sword on the helmed heads of the enemy,
and freeing the Arab horses from their proper riders, he
distributed them to his own knights, who were on foot.
They, nimbly mounting them, with the king always leading
the way, dispersed the troops of the enemy on all sides, and
put to death without mercy all that came in their way. The
pagans falling under the strokes of the enemy uttered

A.D. 1192.] ARRIVAL OF THE CHRISTIAN ARMY. 121

miserable cries and yielded their souls to Tartarus. In this
battle the crossbowmen took the lead, and behaved most
praiseworthily, for by their incomparable valour especially the
enemy's attack was repelled, and their fierce audacity
humbled. How much the king's valour shone in this battle,
and how much the prowess of his men, how many thousands
of the enemy he put to flight, would seem incredible, were it
not that the divine hand protected him. For who would
ever believe that eighty knights could so invincibly cope with
sixty-two thousand men for almost an entire day, could
endure the showers of their missiles, and the attacks of their
javelins without retreating a foot from their first position,
but could moreover disperse their adversaries in all directions,
and after putting them to flight, have thus gained a joyful
and unlooked-for victory over them, unless they relied on the
assistance of God, and believed that they were under the
protection of Heaven? At length the garrison of Joppa,
beholding the invincible bravery of the king and his followers,
boldly sallied forth, and suddenly falling upon the enemy in
the rear, by repeated attacks on their part as well as on that of
the king, the infidels turned their backs and fled in con-
fusion, with great loss, taking to woods and caves for safety.

How the army of the Christians arrived to the assistance of king Richard.

In the meantime news had reached the army, which had
been left at Ptolemais by the king, that he was hemmed in
on all sides at Joppa by the enemy, and was placed in great
peril, unless they speedily went to his succour. This news
struck fear and grief into all, and they all had thoughts of
flight ; but the more courageous part of the army assembled
to deliberate on the chances of their being able to render the
king any assistance. They therefore by common consent
marched to Caesarea, not daring to go further for fear of the
enemy ; and being there told of the unexpected victory of the
king, they were overcome with joy, and gave praises to God
as the preserver of them all. This battle took place at the
feast of St. Peter ad vinculo,*

* Matthew Paris adds here : — " When Saladin heard these things he
was compelled to glorify Christ the Lord and God of the Christians, adding
that king Richard was the most wonderful prince in the world, if he would
only be less prodigal of his life, for, said he, it did not become a king to

122 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D, 1192.

How king Richard determined to return home.

After this unequalled victory the king remained seven
weeks at Joppa, during which time a deadly disease, caused
by the unwholesome atmosphere, made destructive attacks on
him and his followers, and all who were seized with this
disease perished, with the exception of the king, who was
preserved in health by divine favour. Moreover the king at
this time discovered that his money was by degrees falling
short, owing to the bountiful distributions he had unadvisedly
made amongst his soldiers, and finding that the French army,
and others, whom, on the duke of Burgundy's death, he had
at great expense kept together and retained with him, were
anxious to leave him, and that his own army was diminished
in number by the deadly disease and by conflicts with the
enemy, whilst their numbers daily increased, he took counsel
with the templars, hospitallers, and the chiefs who were with
him, and made arrangements to return home immediately,
binding himself by oath to return to the siege of the holy
city as soon as he had reinforced his army, and supplied
himself with money. Besides the foregoing reasons for his
departure, what had much the most weight with him was,
that he had been told that his brother John, whom he had
left in England, was conspiring to bring England to subjec-
tion to him, and the result proved that he wished to do so. As
it was evident that the departure of such a great army, and
such a prince as Richard, could not but expose those who re-
expose himself to such dangers ; but any king who had a thousand such
warriors under him, might soon vanquish the whole world." At the same
time also Saladin, for vengeance' sake, commanded a captive, who had once
been prince of Antioch, and had now been worn down by long confinement,
to be brought before him. " What would you do," said he looking grimly on
him, "to me, if you had me prisoner as I have you?" The captive
remained silent, and Saladin adjured him to speak the truth, " Then,"
said the prisoner, u you should be capitally punished, and no gold should
ransom you, because you are an enemy to our Lord : though you are a
king as I am, I would cut off your head, because you persist in your own
houndish laws." To which Saladin replied, " I think you will never have
such power over me. Out of your own mouth will I judge you, for I will
cut off your head." He then ordered a sword to be brought, and the
captive offering his neck, exclaimed, " This is what I always prayed for,
and I am glad to receive death at your hands." His hands were then
bound and Saladin cut off his head. Who will deny that this was glorious
martyrdom ? — See Passio Reginaldi in Petri Blesensis Opera, vol. iii.

A.D. 1192.] RETURN OF KING RICHARD. 123

mained there to great danger, and hazard the loss of the
country they had subdued, a truce was, at the request and by
the advice of both armies, agreed on between the Christians
and pagans for a period of three years, to commence from
the ensuing Easter.

How king Richard returned from his pilgrimage.

Accordingly in the autumn, when his ships were ready
and all his arrangements made, king Richard with his queen,
and her sister Johanna the queen of Sicily, and his nobles,
set sail to cross the Mediterranean. Whilst on their voyage
unusual storms arose, and they suffered many hardships in
reaching land, some suffered shipwreck, some, after being
shipwrecked, escaped to shore, almost naked, and with loss of
their property ; but a few reached the destined port in safety.
Those however, who escaped the dangers of the sea, found
themselves everywhere set upon by bands of enemies on
shore, by whom they were made prisoners and robbed, and
some were obliged to pay heavy ransoms ; there was no place
of refuge for them, as if both land and sea had conspired
against the retreating crusaders. From this it is sufficiently
evident that their departure, before the object of their
pilgrimage was accomplished, was by no means pleasing to
God, who had determined after a short time to enrich them
in that country, by bringing their enemies into subjection to
them, and bestowing on them the land on behalf of which
they had undertaken such a toilsome pilgrimage. For while
they were thus absent, that invader of the Holy Land,
Saladin, in Lent following closed a wicked life by a miserable
death, and they, if they had been present at that time, would
have very easily obtained possession of the Holy Land, whilst
the sons and relatives of the same Saladin were disputing
amongst themselves and contending for their father's king-
dom.

How the said king escaped from many snares laid for him by his enemies.

King Eichard with some of his followers, after being
harassed by storms for six weeks, approached the coast of
Barbary, about three days' sail from Marseilles, where, from
an increasing report, he learned that the count of St. Giles,
and all the other princes, through whose territories he was
about to travel, had unanimously conspired against him, and

124

ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. ] 192.

everywhere laid snares for him ; he therefore arranged to
return secretly by way of Germany. He accordingly put
hack with a few of his followers, amongst whom were
Baldwin of Bethune, and Master Philip, his clerk, Anselm*
his chaplain, and some brothers of the templars ; this party
put into a town in Slavonia called Gazara, and thence they
immediately sent a messenger to the nearest castle to ask for
peace and safe conduct from the lord of that province, who
was nephew of the marquis. The king had on his return
purchased of a Pisan merchant, for nine hundred bezants,
three jewels, called carbuncles, or more commonly "rubies;"
one of these he had, whilst on board ship, enclosed in a gold
ring, and this he sent by the said messenger to the governor
of the castle. When the messenger was asked by the
governor who they were that requested safe conduct, he
answered that they were pilgrims returning from Jerusalem.
The governor then asked what their names were, to which
the messenger replied, " One of them is called Baldwin de
Bethune, the other Hugh, a merchant, who has also sent you
a ring." The lord of the castle looking more attentively at
the ring said, " He is not called Hugh, but king Richard,"
and then added, " Although I have sworn to seize all
pilgrims coming from those parts, and not to accept of any
gift from them, nevertheless for the worthiness of the gift
and also of the sender, to him who has so honoured me a
stranger to him, I both return his present and grant him free
permission to depart." With this the messenger returned
and told the king all that had passed. In alarm at this dis-
covery, the party procured horses, and in the middle of the
night set out secretly from the above-named town, and for
some time proceeded without interruption through that
country ; but that same governor had sent a scout after them
to his brother, telling him to seize the king when he came
into his territory. When therefore the king had arrived
there, and had got into the city where the before-mentioned
lord's brother lived, the latter immediately sent for a trusty
friend of his, called Roger, of Norman race, an inhabitant of
Argenton, who had lived with him for twenty years, and
whose niece he had married, and ordered him carefully to
search all houses where pilgrims were lodged, and if possible
* Who saw and heard all these things and told them to us. — M, Paris,

A.D. 1192.] IMPRISONMENT OF KING RICHARD. 125

to find out the king either by his language or any other sign,
promising to give him half the city if he should take the
king. This messenger, by inquiring at the dwellings of the
pilgrims separately, at last found the king, who, after long
dissembling, was compelled by the entreaties and tears of the
faithful inquirer to acknowledge who he was, on wrhich he
with tears besought the king to take instantly to flight, and
gave him a very excellent horse. After this he returned to
his master and told him, that, what he had heard of the
king's arrival was untrue, but that they were Baldwin de
Bethune and his companions returning from their pilgrimage.
His master, however, flew into a rage, and ordered them all
to be seized; but the king with William D'Estaing and a
boy, who understood the German language, escaped from the
city by stealth, and remained on the road for three days and
nights without food, when, driven by the calls of hunger, he
diverged to a village, called Gynatia, on the Danube, wiiere
at that time, to complete his misfortunes, the duke of Austria
was stopping.

TLow king Richard was taken by the duke, and thrown into prison.

King Richard having thus landed in Austria, he sent his
boy to the town of Gynatia to market, to buy food for his
hungry attendants. The boy, on going to the market, made
a show of several bezants, and behaved in a haughty and
pompous manner, on which he was seized by the citizens,
who asked who he was, to which he replied that he was the
servant of a rich merchant, who had arrived at that town
after a three days' journey : they on this let him go, and he
went stealthily to the secret dwelling of the king, and advised
him to fly at once, telling what had happened to him. The
king, however, wished, after his harassing voyage, to rest
for a few days in the above-named tow^n, and, having occa-
sion to purchase necessaries, this same boy often went to the
public market : and on one occasion, on St. Thomas the
apostle's day, he happened incautiously to carry his master
the king's gloves under his belt. The magistrates of the
place seeing them, had him again apprehended, and after
inflicting various tortures on him, and beating him, threatened
to pull out his tongue and cut it off, if he did not at once
confess the truth. *The boy at length was compelled by

126 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1193.

these tortures to tell them how the matter stood. The
magistrates immediately sent word to the duke, and sur-
rounded the king's house, insultingly ordering him to give
himself up quietly ; the king, however, undismayed by their
tumultuous shouts, and seeing that even his prowess could
be of no avail against such a number of barbarians, ordered
the duke to be fetched, promising to give himself up to him
alone ; and on the latter coming up, he surrendered himself
with his sword. The duke, delighted at this, took the king
with him in an honourable way, but afterwards delivered
him to the custody of his soldiers, with orders that they
were to keep a most strict guard over him, with drawn
swords day and night. Now, it must not be considered that
this dreadful misfortune came to pass without the decree of
the Almighty, although it is not revealed to us ; whether it
was to punish the king's own errors in his youth, or to
punish the faults of his subjects, or that even the said king
might be recalled to repentance and a just atonement for his
crime, in having, by the assistance and advice of the French
king, besieged his father in the flesh, king Henry, when ill
in his bed, at the city of Maine; for although he did not
slay him with his sword, yet, by frequent attacks he forced
him to leave that place, and it cannot be doubted but that all
these circumstances were the cause of his death. In this
year too, Savary, irchdeacon of Northampton, was elected
bishop of Bath ; he then went to Rome, and was there
ordained a priest, and on the 19th of September he received
consecration from Alban bishop of Albano.

How the duke of A ustria sold the king of England to the emperor.

a.d. 1193. King Richard remained a prisoner of the
duke of Austria till that prince sold him to the Roman
emperor for sixty thousand pounds of silver, Cologne weight,
and then on the Tuesday after Palm Sunday he caused him
to be carefully guarded ; and that he might compel the
king to pay an immoderate sum for his ransom, he ordered
him to be imprisoned in Trivallis (Treves), from which
prison no one who had entered there up to that time had
ever come out again, and of which place Aristotle says
in his fifth book, " Bonum est mactare parentes in
Trivallis," and elsewhere it is said, " Sunt loca, sunt gentes,
quibus est mactare parentes." Into this place was the

A.D. 1193.] ACCUSATIONS AGAINST RICHARD. 127

king put under a strong guard of soldiers and attendants,
who accompanied him wherever he went with drawn swords,
day and night, and even kept guard by turns round his
couch, not allowing any of his own followers to remain with
him at night. None of these circumstances could ever
cloud the calm countenance of the king, but he always
seemed cheerful and agreeable in his conversation, and brave
and daring in his acts, as time, place, cause, or person
required. To others I leave the relation of his jokes to his
guards ; how he made them drunk, and assaulted their huge
persons by way of amusement.

How the emperor accused king Richard in many things, and how the king
prudently replied to them.

The emperor for a long time cherished feelings of anger
and malice against the king, and did not even deign to receive
him into his presence, or even to speak to him ; for he com-
plained that the king had offended him and his friends in
many things, and pretended that he had many charges
against him. At length, after the interposition of friends
from time to time, especially of the abbat of Cluni, and
William the king's chancellor, the emperor called together
his bishops, dukes, and knights, and ordered the king to be
brought into his presence, and there accused him of many
offences before all of them. In the first place, to wit, that it
was by Richard's advice and assistance that he, the emperor,
had lost the kingdom of Sicily and Apulia, which of right
belonged to him on the death of king William, and to obtain
which he had collected a very large army, and spent an
endless sum of money, he, the said king, faithfully pro-
mising him his assistance to obtain that kingdom from
Tancred. He next, with regard to the king of Cyprus,
a relation of his own, accused Eichard of having unjustly
dethroned and imprisoned that monarch, and of having
forcibly invaded his country, robbed his treasury, and sold
the island to a foreigner. He next accused him of the
death of the marquis of Montferrat, his heir, asserting that it
was owing to his treachery and machinations that that noble-
man had been slain by the Assassins ; and that he had also
sent the same people to slay his lord the king of the French,
with whom he had, during their pilgrimage, kept no faith in

128 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D> 1193.

common, as had been agreed, and confirmed by oath, between
them. Lastly, he complained that he had at Joppa thrown
into the dirt the flag of his relation, the duke of Austria, in
contempt of him, and had always insulted his Germans in
the Holy Land by offensive words and conduct.

After these and the like charges had been made by the
emperor, the English king at once stood forth in the midst
of the assembly ; and replying to the charges one by one,
spoke so clearly and convincingly, that he was looked upon
with admiration and respect by all, and no suspicion of his
being guilty of the offences imputed to him any longer
remained in the minds of his hearers. For he plainly proved
the truth and order of his words by veritable assertions and
likely argument of the case, so that he quashed all the
charges, and did not withhold the truth of what had happened.
He firmly disavowed the accusation of treachery, or of his
being the plotter of any prince's murder, asserting that he
would prove his innocence of such charges as the court of
the emperor should decide. After he had for a long time
pleaded before the emperor and his nobles, in answer to the
charges most ably, the emperor, admiring his eloquence, rose,
and sending for the king to come to him, he embraced him,
and from that time behaved with kindness and leniency
towards him, and treated him with the greatest familiarity.*

How king Richard paid a fine of a hundred and forty thousand pounds

for his ransom.

After these events, on the mediation of friends from time
to time, the ransom of the king was for a long time discussed;
and at length the result was, that a hundred and forty thou-
sand marks of silver, Cologne weight, were to be paid to the
emperor for his ransom money before they could come to any
agreement. Accordingly on St. Peter and St. Paul the
apostles' day, the bishops, dukes, and barons, made oath that,
as soon as the king should have paid the above-named sum,
he should be at liberty to return to his own kingdom. The
news of this treaty was brought to England by the king's
chancellor, William bishop of Ely, who brought with him

* " The duke of Austria was afterwards excommunicated by our lord the
pope and all his cardinals : but on his death -bed, though he did not give
satisfaction; yet, lest he should fall into desperation, he was absolved by his
bishops, and died horribly." — M. Paris.

A,D. 1193.] KING KICHARD'S INNOCENCE. 129

letters from our lord the king, and also the golden bull of the
emperor ; and a warrant was immediately issued by the justi-
ciaries of the king, that all bishops, priests, earls, and barons,
abbacies and priories, should contribute a fourth part of their
incomes towards the king's ransom, and moreover they gave
their gold and silver vessels for that work of piety. But
John bishop of Norwich took half the value of the vessels
throughout the whole of his diocese, and gave half to the king.
The Cistertian order, which, up to that time, had been free
from all tax, gave all their wool for the ransom of the king.
Indeed, no church, no order, rank, or sex, was passed over with-
out being compelled to aid in releasing him. Forewarnings
of this calamity had appeared in unusual seasons — inundations
of rivers, awful storms of thunder and rain three or four
times in each month, with dreadful lightning throughout the
whole year; all which caused a scantiness in the crops of
fruit and corn.

Exculpation of king Richard from the charge of the murder of the

marquis.

The English king, when he was unjustly, as has been said,
accused of the murder of the marquis, sent messengers to the
chief of the assassins, asking him to write to the duke or the
emperor of Austria to prove his innocence ; and from him the
king obtained the following letter : — " The old man of the
mountain to Leopold duke of Austria, greeting. Whereas
several kings and princes beyond sea have accused our lord
Richard king of the English, of the murder of the marquis ;
I swear by the God who reigns eternally, and by the law which
we observe, that no blame attaches to him in regard of the
death of that noble. The cause of the marquis's death was
as follows : — One of our brotherhood was coming in a vessel
from Salteleia to our part of the country, when a storm drove
him into Tyre, where the marquis took him prisoner, mur-
dered him, and took possession of a large sum of money belong-
ing to him. We sent messengers to the marquis, asking him to
restore to us our brother's money, and to make reparation to
us for his murder, which he would not do, but insulted our
messengers and charged the murder of our brother on Regi-
nald lord of Sidon, yet we, by means of friends, ascertained
of a truth that it was the marquis himself who caused the

VOL. II. K

130 EOGER OF WENDOVEK. [A. D. 1193.

man to be murdered and robbed. We again sent another
messenger, named Edrisus, to him, and this one he wished
to throw into the sea; but our friends hastened his de-
parture from Tyre, and he returned at once and told us these
things. From that hour we desired the death of the mar-
quis, and accordingly sent two of our brothers to Tyre, and
they there openly, and almost in the face of all the inhabit-
ants, slew him. This was the cause of the marquis's death,
and we indeed speak truly in saying that our lord king
Richard had no hand in the death of that noble, on whose
account he has suffered injury unjustly and without cause.
Also be assured that we do not kill any man in this way for
the sake of reward or for money, but only when he hast first
inflicted an injury on us. And know that we have written
this letter in our house, at our fort of Messiac, in the pre-
sence of our brethren, and sealed it with our seal, in the
middle of September, in the year one thousand five hundred
from the time of Alexander.

How Hugh bishop of Chester was robbed of all his goods.

About this time, Hugh bishop of Chester was hastening
with large presents, which he had procured with the greatest
trouble, to see the king ; but as he was stopping a night near
Canterbury to rest, he was seized and robbed of all he had
with him. Matthew de Clera, castellan of Dover, showed
favour to the robbers, for which he was excommunicated by
the archbishop, but it is not known whether he atoned for it.

Of the death of Saladin, and succession of Suphadin.

About this same time Saladin, the public enemy of truth
and the cross, was struck by the visitation of God at a feast
at Nazareth, and expired suddenly, whereupon his brother
Saphadin usurped the sovereignty there. But there were
with him the seven sons of Saladin, against whom the sons
of Nouredin, who had been expelled from his father's kingdom
by Saladin, marched with a host of Persians. Of these two
brothers, namely, Saladin and Saphadin, and their offspring,
and the succession of their sons, little need be said for the
elucidation of this history, except that they were pre-eminent
in every science of paganism. Saladin, at his death, which
has been mentioned, left nine sons heirs to his kingdom, but

A.D. 1193.] sapiiadin's fifteen sons. 131

Saphadin, his younger brother, slew all his nephews except
one named Nouradin ; he held possession of Aleppo, with all
the neighbouring cities, castles, towns, and other fortified
places, which were more than two hundred in number.
Saphadin, who made himself master of his brother's king-
dom, and slew his nephews, had fifteen sons, seven of whom
he made his heirs in the kingdoms which he had acquired by
murder. The first of the sons was named Melealim, and for
his inheritance he had the government of Alexandria, Baby-
lon, Cairo, Damietta, and Canisia, with the whole country of
Egypt; his son Coradin has Damascus, Jerusalem, and
ail the country of the Christians, containing above three
hundred cities, fortifications, and castles, besides villages.
His third son Melchiphais, holds the district called Gemella,
with the whole of the province, in which there are more than
four hundred cities, fortifications, and castles, besides vil-
lages. His fourth son, Mehemodain by name, has possession
of the kingdom of Asia, which contains more than six hun-
dred cities, fortifications and castles, besides villages. His
fifth son Mechisemaphat, holds the country of Sarcho, where
Abel was killed; this kingdom contains nine hundred and
more places, including cities, fortifications, and castles, be-
sides villages. His sixth son, named Machinoth, rules the
country of Baldach, where resides the pope of the Saracens,
called the caliph, and who is feared and reverenced in their
law as the Roman pontiff is amongst ourselves : this priest
can only be seen twice a month, when he goes forth with his
disciples, whom he keeps like a pope or cardinal, to the
mosque, where Mahomet the god of the Agarenes is said to
be, and there, after he has bowed his head and made a prayer
according to their law, all present before they go forth from
the temple, eat and drink, after which he returns to his
palace. That Mahomet is visited and worshipped there, as
a Christian nation worships Christ crucified ; moreover the
city of Baldach, where Mahomet and the caliph are, is the
capital of the nation of the Agarenes, as Rome is of Chris-
tian nations. Saphadin's seventh son, named Salaphat, has
no country for his inheritance, bat dwells with his brother
Melealim, and is his standard-bearer ; and to the same Mele-
alim, each of his brothers sends yearly a thousand Saracens,
a hundred bezants, and two chargers well equipped. Sapha-
din their father, when he used to visit his sons, came with his

k2

132 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1193.

head covered with a red silk hood, and all his sons went to
meet him bowing their heads four times to the earth, and
kissed his feet; he then embraced and shook hands with
them, and stayed with each of his sons three days once a year :
each of his sons wore a ring with his father's likeness carved
on it. And whenever this said Saphadin rode out, he did
not show his face, except ten times in the year ; and when he
received messengers from any prince, he received them in
his palace by means of his armed attendants on the first day,
on the second his answer was told them as occasion required,
but he did not give them permission to approach him till the
third day. His eight sons, according to their father's arrange-
ment, live in the following manner : two of them have charge
of the sepulchre of Christ, and to them are paid the offerings
which are made at the sepulchre, which they divide between
them ; their income is more than twenty thousand Saracens ;
four other sons receive the duties arising from the Nile, and
their incomes are worth more than forty thousand Saracens ;
the two other younger sons stand daily before Mahomet, and
to them are paid the offerings which are made at the feet of
the prophet, which are worth more than thirty thousand
Saracens. Saphadin has fifteen wives, and the same number
of heirs ; he is used to sleep with his wives each in turn, and
when one of them is with child by him, he sleeps with her
in the presence of all the rest ; and when any of those fifteen
dies, he, according to the custom of their law, introduces
another in her place. These people too have a written law
given to them by Mahomet, which is called the Alcoran, and
the commands of that book are kept by that impious race of
people as inviolably as we Christians observe the text of the
gospel.

How John, the king's brother, wished to obtain the government of England.

Whilst king Kichard, as has been related, was detained by
the emperor, earl John, his brother, hearing of his mis-
fortune, and thinking he would not return, entered into a
friendly alliance with Philip king of the French, and by
that monarch's pernicious counsel, made arrangements to be
crowned in his brother's place, but the English with a
laudable fidelity would not permit it.

A.D. 1194."] RELEASE OF RICHARD. 133

How the king of the French endeavoured to seize on Normandy.

Philip, the French king, now gave vent to his hatred
against the king of the English, and with a very large army
invaded Normandy, sparing neither rank, sex, or age. Gil-
bert de Wascuil sent for the aforesaid king and treacherously
surrendered Gisors to him, as had been agreed on between
them. After this the said king, partly through treachery
and partly by force, subdued all the Vexin of Normandy, and
the county of Aumarle, as far as Dieppe and valley of Ruil,
with the principal fortresses ; he also conquered the country
of Hugh de Gournai, who with some others had surrendered
to the French king. He moreover besieged Rouen, but by
the valour of the earl of Leicester and the prowess of the
inhabitants, he was driven from that city in confusion, and
with loss of some of his troops. The said king also took
the city of Evreux, and delivered it over to the guardianship
of the said earl.*

How the French king married the sister of the king of Denmark , and
immediately divorced her.

About this time the French king espoused the sister of the
king of Denmark, named Ingelburg, a lady of remarkable
beauty ; but after the marriage he divorced her and placed
her amongst the nuns at Soissons, at the same time ordering
all the Danes who had come with her to return to their own
country. In this same year, Hubert Walter, bishop of Salis-
bury, was canonically elected to the archbishopric of Canter-
bury, and, on the day after the feast of St. Leonard, was
installed in his see ; and to his care, by command of king
Richard, was entrusted the kingdom of England and the ad-
ministration of affairs there, Walter archbishop of Rouen,
having been sent for by the king into Germany, whither he
went accompanied also by Eleanor the king's mother, who
was anxious to see her son.

How king Richard was released, and came to England.

a.d. 1194. The greatest part of the ransom money having
been paid, and hostages having been given as security for
what remained unpaid, king Richard was, on the day of the

* EarlJohn.

134 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1194.

blessed Mary's purification, set free, and permitted to return
to his kingdom. He accordingly, with his mother and the
chancellor, set out through the territory of the duke of Lou-
vain, and reached the British channel, and on the Sunday
after the feast of St. Gregory he arrived in England at the
port of Sandwich, to the great joy of all classes. At the
very hour in which the king with his attendants landed,
which was the second hour of the day, when the sun was
shining clearly, there appeared a brilliant and unusual splen-
dor in the heavens, extending about the length and breadth
of the hun an body from the sun, of a very bright white and
red colour, as if a sort of rainbow ; and several people who |
saw this brightness declared that the king was about to
arrive in England. Immediately on his arrival, the king set
out for Canterbury to pay his devotions at the blessed
Thomas's shrine; from that place he went to London, and
was received with the most joyous pomp, the whole city
being profusely decorated and adorned against the king's
arrival with every variety of ornament that wealth could
produce. When his arrival was known, nobles and com-
moners alike went to meet him on the way with great eager-
ness, being most anxious to see him returned from captivity
who they had feared would never return.* The king
stopped scarcely one day at Westminster before he started to
St. Edmund's to return thanks ; and from thence he hurried
to Nottingham to besiege and take those who had conspired
against him and joined earl John. The army of England
had already taken every castle belonging to the before-named
earl, with the exception of this one alone, which still held
out and was bravely defended : but when the king laid siege
to it, and had made one assault, the besieged were assured of
his unhoped-for arrival, and surrendered the castle to him,
placing themselves at the king's pleasure, and trusting to his
mercy; some of these he imprisoned, others he set free on

* Matthew Paris adds : — " On his arrival at Westminster, he was met
by Geoffrey Hakesalt, a servant of Warm abbat of St. Alban's, with
large gifts of gold and silver, sufficient not only to propitiate but to re-
joice the heart of the king's majesty. The king weighing his good-will by
his gifts, gave the abbat abundant thanks as a friend and father who did
not forget his son ; for he called the abbat his dearest father on account of
his great friendship. From that time their union was even closer than
before, and the king favoured the abbat in every thing." *

A.D. 1194.] RICHARD CROWNED AT WINCHESTER. 135

receiving a fitting ransom, as he was greedily anxious after
the money of each and all of them in his then state of neces-
sity. Two reasons principally urged him to take this course,
which were, that he might release the hostages who had
been given to the emperor for him, and that he might get
together a very large army against the king of the French, who
was every where ravaging his dominions with fire and pil-
lage. On this account, although he exacted money for his
prisoners more greedily than was compatible with his kingly
dignity, yet it ought to be pardoned rather than throw a
stain on the king on account of his necessities.

How king Richard was crowned, and immediately crossed the sea to

Normandy.

After all his adversaries in England were thus quickly sub
dued, king Richard, by the advice of his nobles, although it
could add but little to his renown, was crowned at Winches-
ter in Easter week ; at which ceremony Hubert archbishop
of Canterbury performed mass, and William king of Scots
attended. Afterwards, at the feast of the saints Nereus and
Achilles,* he embarked at Portsmouth and sailed to Nor-
mandy, and on his arrival there he stopped that night at
Barfleur to rest ; at that place his brother earl John came to
him as a suppliant, and, with many of his soldiers, threw
himself at the feet of the king, asking his brother's mercy
with tears, and accusing himself for his folly in many re-
spects. The king, affectionate as he was, could not refrain
from tears, and pitying his brother's misfortunes, raised him
from the ground and restored him to his former favour.

How king Richard forced the king of the French to fly from Verneuil.

King Richard being informed that the king of the French
had laid siege to Yerneuil, and had been employed for eight
days unceasingly in erecting stone engines, in bringing up
large stones, undermining the walls, and harassing the be-
sieged garrison, took his way to that place with all speed.
The great day of Whitsuntide was at hand, and that the
French might not have to boast of gaining a victory on that
sacred day, they heard a little before dark that the English
king was prepared for battle, and would arrive at daybreak.

* 12th May.

136 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1194.

The French were panic-struck by this report, as they nad
often had experience of the king's bravery : they therefore
chose to fly rather than to fight, and retreated from their
camp, to their eternal disgrace and infamy.

How Herebert the Poor was made bishop of Salisbury.

About this same time, Herebert surnamed the Poor, arch-
deacon of Canterbury, being canonically elected to the
bishopric of Salisbury, was ordained a priest at Whitsuntide,
and on the day after was consecrated a bishop by Hubert
archbishop of Canterbury, at Westminter. At the same time
the French king in his retreat from Yerneuil, in order that
he might not appear to have effected nothing, in his anger
destroyed a little fort called Fountains, and thus with some-
thing having the appearance of a victory he returned to his
own dominions.

Of the capture of Loches by king Richard.

King Richard, after these events, came to Tours, and
received two thousand marks of silver by way of presents,
from the burgesses of Neufchatel, where the body of
St. Martin reposes. He then marched within the boundaries
of Tours, and laid siege to the castle of Loches, which he
took by storm after a few days ; this castle the king of the
French had received from the lieutenants of the English
king, when the latter was a prisoner, as a kind of security
that they would not break the treaty which had been made
between the monarchs, and had given it, well stored with
provisions, into the charge of fifteen knights and eighty
soldiers. At this time the son of the king of Navarre came
to assist the English king, with a large army, and having
amongst his followers fifty arbalesters, besides a hundred
others ; this prince laid waste the territory of Geoffrey de
Ravenne, and that of the count of Angouleme.

How king Richard drove the French king out of Touraine.

At this time also Philip king of the French, entered the
confines of Tours, and pitched his camp near Vindome ; but
finding by means of his scouts that the king of the English
was marching upon him, he early in the morning struck his
camp and made all haste to Freitval; but the king of th?

A.D. 1194.] TOURNAMENTS IN ENGLAND. 137

English pursued him, and captured all his teams as well as
those of the counts and barons fighting under him, and all
their baggage; he also took gold and silver, crossbows and
tents, and other things innumerable, and brought them away
with him. He in this way crossed into Poictou, and within
a few days had reduced to submission the castle of Taileburc
and the country of his adversaries, namely, the count of
Angouleme, and Geoffrey de Ravenne, so that there did not
exist a single rebel against him from the castle of Verneuil
to Charlecroix.

How the French king endeavoured to impose on king Richard*

About this time the French king sent four messengers to
the king of the English, deceitfully making use of friendly
speeches, to propose, that, in order to save the subjects of
each, whose coffers they in their wars had emptied of gold and
silver and to spare the effusion of the noble blood of each
kingdom, the claims of both should be determined by a
combat of five men on each side, the chiefs of each kingdom to
await the issue of the combat, until after it was over they
could adjudge what ought by right to fall to each king.
This proposal pleased the English king beyond measure,
provided that the French king should be the fifth man on his
side; and he, the English king, likewise be the fifth on
the English side, and that they should preserve an equality
in men and arms, and engage with equal odds ; this the king
of the French to the scorn of many refused to agree to.*
After this on the mediation of some religious men a truce
was agreed on between the French and English kings, but
all intercourse of traders was forbidden on both sides.

How king Richard established tournaments throughout England,

At this time king Richard crossed to England and
appointed tournaments to be held in certain places, being
induced to do so perhaps for this reason, that the soldiers of
the kingdom might meet from all quarters and prove their

* " This year also, Robert earl of Leicester was taken prisoner by the
king of France and the count de Perche. Henry Marshal, also, brother of
William Marshal the elder, was made bishop of Exeter." — Matthew
Paris.

138 ROGER OF WEXDOVER. [a.D. 1195.

strength by manoeuvring their horses in the ring, and thus
be more nimble and practised for battle against the enemies
of the cross, or even against their neighbours. At this time,
too, one Alexius, son of Manuel, formerly emperor of Con-
stantinople, assembled an army, and having made prisoner
Cursac the present emperor, who had attacked him, he
deprived him of his eyesight, and at length, after having
emasculated him, condemned him to perpetual imprisonment
and seized on his empire.

How the king of the English laid a complaint before our lord the pope
against the duke of Austria for imprisoning him. *

a.d. 1195. King Richard sent messengers to the apostolic
see with instructions to lay the following complaint before our
lord the pope. " Holy father, our lord Richard king of the
English salutes your excellency, and asks for justice to be
shown to him against the duke of Austria, who made prisoner
of him when on his return from a toilsome pilgrimage,
harassed him in a way not becoming so great a prince, and
afterwards sold him as though he were a bull or an ass, to
the emperor, after which the two of them consumed the
substance of his kingdom by demanding an intolerable sum
for his ransom. Moreover they, who were no strangers to
the laws of Christianity, visited him with more severe judg-
ments in such a case, than even Saladin would have done, if
by a similar misfortune he had fallen into the hands of that
infidel himself, to fight against whom the said king had
travelled from his territories, leaving his lately acquired
kingdom, his country, relations, and friends. He would
perhaps know how to pay respect to the nobleness, valour, or
majesty of a king, whom that barbarous and stiff-necked gene-
ration did not know how to appreciate, but perhaps they did
this that the capture of such a great prince might be attributed
as a praiseworthy victory to them, although they would never
have dared to seek him in open fight, had he been surrounded
by his valiant army. And let them not think that the dis-
grace of the king is to be imputed to them, but rather to the
dispensation of God, at whose will the wheel of fortune
humbles one and exalts another, casts down one and raises
up another. It also greatly vexes our lord the king, that, in

A.D. 1195.] DEATII OF THE DUKE OF AUSTRIA. 139

a time of peace, and when your protection was granted to all
pilgrims for a period of three years, the same being enforced
and confirmed on penalty of excommunication, they made a
prisoner of him as he came from his pilgrimage, and was
making arrangements to return again, and threw him into
prison, compelling him to pay a heavy sum for his ransom.
iVIay your excellency therefore give orders for that duke to
permit the hostages for our lord the king, who are as yet
detained as prisoners for the portion of the ransom which
remains unpaid, to depart free, and also for him to restore
entire the money which he, the excommunicated man, has
received from our lord, as well as make a fitting atonement
for the injury inflicted on him and his subjects."

Of the excommunication of the duke on account of king Richard,

After the messengers of the king had pleaded these and
many other complaints before the supreme pontiff; our lord
the pope then rose with his cardinals and excommunicated
the duke himself by name, and in general all those who had
laid violent hands on the king and his men ; he also put the
whole of the duke's territory under an interdict, giving orders
to the bishop of Verona to publish this sentence of excom-
munication throughout the whole duchy of Austria on every
Sunday and feast-day, as follows : " That, if the said duke
shall determine to obey our mandates, you enjoin him by the
virtue of God, to release the whole of the king of England's
hostages, to cancel all agreements, and restore the property
taken from them by him and his followers, as well as what
he has received as an unjust ransom for the said king
himself, and also shall send the said hostages in security to
their own country, and for the future never venture on such
things again, but make due compensation for the injury and
wrongs inflicted.

Of the wretched death of the duke of Austria.

All this was denounced against the duke by the bishop of
Verona, but he persisted in contemning the apostolic man-
date, at a time too when his country was struck by an
unheard-of sterility as well as by famine and disease ; the
river Danube, too, at this time overflowed unusually in some
part of the country, and by that unexpected event ten

140 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D, 1195.

thousand persons were drowned. But notwithstanding all
these things the duke's anger was not averted, but rather
was increased, and at length he himself was struck by a
dreadful divine visitation; for on St. Stephen's day as he
was taking recreation on horseback with his attendants, the
horse on which he rode kicked violently and inflicted an
incurable wound with its foot on the leg of the rider, for
immediately the leg and foot together turned black and rose
to a swelling, which no physician's poulticing could reduce,
and the duke was most unbearably tortured by the infernal
lire, as it is called, in addition to the swelling. At length
being unable to endure this torture he ordered his foot to be
amputated, he himself at the same time taking an axe, every
one else refusing with horror ; but he did not by this escape
the agonies of pain, for by and by his thigh with the rest of
his body was eaten away by the same fire. At length, how-
ever, he acknowledged the wicked crime which he had com-
mitted out of malice against the king and his followers, and
on the persuasion of the bishops who came to him, he
gave up the hostages, and the remainder of the money due
for the ransom of the king, and gave his word that he would
also return what he had received, and promised henceforward
to be obedient to the judgment of the church. The bishops
on this seeing him in such a state of misery and suffering
absolved him from the ban of excommunication, and admitted
him to the communion of the faithful, after which he expired
in dreadful agony. For a long while his body remained un-
buried, until it swarmed with horrible worms, because his
son refused to fulfil his father's command, but at length being
forced to do so by his friends he released the hostages, and
allowed them to return to their own country.

How the emperor Henry , subdued the kingdom of Apulia,

About this time the emperor Henry obtained possession of
the kingdom of Apulia and Sicily, Tancred, who had unjustly
succeeded king William, being dead ; for this same emperor
had married king William's sister, and to her the kingdom of
right belonged at her brother's death.

Of the fearful invasion of Spain by the Saracens,
At this time the king of Morocco, with thirty chiefs, and

A.D. 1195.] DEATII OF ABB AT WARIN. 141

an innumerable army of pagans, burst forth from Africa on
Spain, to take possession of the king of Spain's territories,
and ravaged several other provinces with fire and pillage,
sparing neither sex, rank, nor age, except those who gave
themselves up to his anger : his army consisted of six million
fighting men, and all Christendom was dreadfully alarmed at
their unexpected invasion.*

Of the death of abbat Warin, and the succession of John to the abbacy.

On the 29th of April in the same year Warin, abbat of the
church of St. Alban's, died after having held that see for
eleven years, eight months and eight days ; he was succeeded
by John a monk of the same establishment, who was elected
abbat on the 21st of August, and on the 30th of the same
month received the benediction from Richard bishop of
London.

Of the legateshlp of Hubert archbishop of Canterbury.

About the same time pope Caslestine wrote to all the
prelates of England to this effect, " Caelestine, to our
venerable brothers the archbishop of York, and all bishops,
abbats, priors, and other appointed prelates of the churches
throughout the kingdom of England, greeting &c. Since
we by our commission are enjoined to provide for the
pastoral care of all churches, we now, looking with the eye of
our fatherly regard especially to the English church, have, for
the safety of that establishment, by the common advice of our
brethren, decreed, that our venerable brother Hubert arch-
bishop of Canterbury, in whose merits, and virtue, wisdom,
and learning, the whole church rejoices, shall take on himself
the management of the legateship and perform at will all our
functions, to the honour of the church, and the peace and
safety of the whole kingdom, throughout the whole of

* Some of the MSS. give the paragraph as follows: " About this time
the king of Morocco invaded Spain with thirty chieftains and six millions
of pagans, as they have been reckoned ; and when they had devastated the
provinces of Spain, they heard that the pope proposed to call a general
council and institute a crusade against them, to be led by Richard the mag-
nificent king of England, whose fame had already filled the East and
caused alarm over great part of Africa. They had also heard of his
imprisonment and delivery, and how he had since compelled the king of
France to yield. All the unbelievers therefore returned to their own
country."

142 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A D. 1195.

England, without any privilege or exception to you or your
church, brother archbishop, or to any other person. By the
authority of these presents we therefore command all your
community to pay all due reverence and honour to the said
Hubert, as legate of the apostolic see."

The pope's reproof to the king of the French for his divorce of his wife.

At this time pope Celestine wrote amongst other things to
the archbishop of Seine as follows, " Since we, in our bowels
of affection, especially regard the king of the French, we
have by our beloved son the subdeacon, a legate of the
apostolic see sent especially for the purpose, required of the
said king that he should treat with the affection of a husband
his wife, whom he by evil counsel has put away from him,
and not give ear to those persons, who consider it as gain
to sow the seeds of hatred and discord between people when
they can. Therefore we, by the advice of our brethren,
entirely annul that sentence of divorce, which was passed con-
trary to law, and by these our apostolic letters command and
strictly enjoin your brotherhood, that, if the aforesaid king
shall, during her life, wish to espouse another in her place,
ye take care to forbid him from the same, by our apostolical
authority."

The pope's bull to the bishops of England on behalf of the Holy Land.

At this time pope Celestine wrote to Hubert, archbishop
of Canterbury, and to his suffragan priests, amongst other
subjects on behalf of the Holy Land to the following pur-
port : — " My brethren, archbishops and bishops, to whom is
entrusted the care of souls, make urgent and incessant prayers
to God that you may induce the people, subject to your rule,
to take the cross, and stir themselves to put to confusion the
persecutors of Christianity, for as much as we hope, and you
ought to hope also, that the Lord, by your preaching and
prayers, will let down your net for a draught, and will arouse
such men to the defence of the eastern land, by whose merits
rather than their prowess in arms, God will arise and his
enemies will be scattered, and those who hate him shall flee
before him. But we, in regard to those who undertake this
pilgrimage for the love of God, and endeavour to the utmost
of their power to fulfil it, by virtue of our office entrusted

a.d. 1195.] the rorE's BULL. 143

to us by God's authority, grant the same remission of any
penance imposed on them by the priesthood, as our predeces-
sors are known to have granted in their times ; namely, that
those who shall undertake the toils of this pilgrimage with a
contrite heart and humble sprit, and shall set out on this
journey as a penance for their sins shall, if they die in the
faith, obtain full remission of their offences, and eternal life.
Let their goods also from the time of their taking the cross,
together with their families, be considered under the protec-
tion of the church of Rome, and also of the archbishops and
other prelates of the church ; and let there be no dispute as
to the property they had peaceable possession of at the time
of their taking the cross, until their return or death shall be
known for certain, but let their goods in the mean time re-
main untouched and undisturbed ; but those who have, for
the assistance of that land, sent their property there, shall
obtain pardon for their sins according to the jurisdiction of
the bishops. But to you, brother archbishop, we have
thought fit to entrust the labour of this work, commanding
you to use your influence with our beloved son in Christ, the
illustrious king of the English, who has arranged a truce for
three years at the Holy Land, that he may send well-equip-
ped knights and soldiers to defend that country. We also
order you to traverse England, and by continual exhortations,
by opportune and inopportune preaching, to urge the people
to take the cross and journey to the country beyond sea, to
defend the Holy Land." *

* Matthew Paris inserts here, — " When these things reached the king's
ears he was zealous in the work of the cross, and exhorted others, princi-
pally those whom he had exalted in many ways, to be zealous also, as well
for the sake of his soul as for the advancement of the cross and the salva-
tion of their own souls. That he might the more civilly reprove certain
who were disobedient to these salutary admonitions, he assumed the form
of a preacher, and frequently repeated the advice to those around him.

" About this time a remarkable circumstance happened to a rich and
miserly Venetian, which we think it worth while to insert in this place : his
name was Vitalis ; and when he was on the point of giving his daughter in
marriage, he went into a large forest near the sea to provide delicacies for
the table. As he wandered alone through the forest, with his bow and
arrows ready, and intent on taking venison, he suddenly fell into a pit-fall
which had been cunningly set for the lions, bears, and wolves, out of which
he found it impossible to escape, because the bottom of it was so wide and
the mouth so narrow. Here he found two fierce animals, a lion and a
serpent, which had also by accident fallen in ; and Vitalis signing himself

144 ROGER OF WENDOVER. ! [A.D. 1196.

Of a treaty made between the kings of France and England.

a.d. 1196. King Bi chard spent Christmas at the city of
Poictiers ; and after the feast of St. Hilary, Philip king of the
French, and Richard king of the English, met at a conference at
Louviers, where the following treaty was made between them.
The king of the French quitted claim to king Richard and
his heirs, of Isoudun with the appurtenances, and of all right
which he had in Berry, Auvergne, and Gascony, and gave
him quiet possession of the castle of Arches, and the counties
of Auches and Aumarle, and many other fortresses which
the French monarch had seized on since his return from his
pilgrimage to the Holy Land ; and the English king quitted
claim to the king of the French of the castle of Gisors, and
the whole of Norman Vexin ; and in order that all these
terms might be ratified and confirmed, they mutually found

with the cross, neither of them, though fierce and hungry, ventured to at-
tack him. All that night he spent in this pit, crying and moaning, and
expecting with lamentations the approach of so base a death. A poor
wood-cutter, passing by chance that way to collect faggots, heard his cries,
which seemed to come from beneath the ground, and following the sound
till he came to the pit's mouth, he looked in and called out, "Who is
there 1" Vitalis sprang up, rejoiced beyond measure, and eagerly replied,
" It is I, Vitalis, a Venetian, who knowing nothing of these pit-falls, fell in,
and shall be devoured by wild beasts, besides which I am dying of hunger
and terror. There are two fierce animals here, a lion and a serpent, but,
by God's protection and the sign of the cross, they have not yet hurt me,
and it remains for you to save me, that I may afterwards show you my
gratitude. If you will save me, I will give you half of all my property,
namely, five hundred talents ; for I am worth a thousand." The poor man
answered, " I will do as you request, if you will be as good as your word."
Upon this Vitalis pledged himself on oath to do as he had promised.
Whilst they were speaking, the lion by a bland movement of his tail, and
the serpent by a gentle hissing, signified to the poor man their approbation,
and semed to join in Vitalis's request to be delivered. The poor man im-
mediately went home for a ladder and ropes, with which he returned and
let the ladder down into the pit, without any one to help him. Imme-
diately the lion and serpent, striving which should be first, mounted by the
rounds of the ladder and gave thanks to the poor man, crouching at his
feet, for their deliverance. The wood-cutter, approaching Vitalis, kissed
his hand, saying, u Long live this hand ! I am glad to say that I have earned
my bargain," and with these words he conducted Vitalis until they came to
a road with which he was acquainted. When they parted, the poor man
asked when and where Vitalis would discharge his promise ? " Within four
days," said Vitalis, " in Venice, in my own palace, which is well known and
easy to find." The countryman returned home to dinner, and as he was
sitting at table, the lion entered with a dead goat, as a present in return for

A.D. 1196.] VIOLATION OF A TREATY. 145

sureties, and determined a penalty of fifteen thousand marks
of silver in case of a breach of the treaty by either party.
But in course of time, after Richard had received possession
of the above-mentioned places, the French king repented
having made such a bargain, and collecting a large army he
laid siege to Aumarle ; on this the English king ordered a
seizure to be made of all the goods and possessions which
were in his dominions belonging to the abbats of Marmontier,
Cluni, St. Denis, and Charite, who were the French king's
securities on the above-named treaty, and had bound them-
selves to pay the before-mentioned money to the king of the
English if the former king should not stand to his agreement.
In the meantime the French king took the castle of Au-
marle by assault and destroyed it, and the king of England
gave him three thousand marks of silver of the above-
mentioned money as a ransom for the knights of that garrison
and their followers, that they might be permitted to depart,
saving their horses and arms. Afterwards the king of the
French took Nonancourt, and king Richard took the castle
Gameges, and so the two kings played at castle-taking.

his deliverance, and having laid it down, took his leave without doing any
hurt. The countryman, however, wishing to see where so tame an animal
lay, followed him to his den, the lion all the time licking his feet, and then
came back to his dinner. The serpent now came also, and brought with
him in his mouth a precious stone which he laid in the countryman's plate.
The same proceedings again took place as before. After two or three days
the rustic, carrying the jewel with him, went to Venice, to claim from Vitalis
his promise. He found him feasting with his neighbours in joy for his
deliverance and said to him, " Friend, pay me what you owe me." " Who
art thou?" replied Vitalis, " and what dost thou want?" "I want the
five hundred talents you promised me." " Do you expect," replied
Vitalis, " to get so easily the money which I have had so much difficulty to
amass ? " and, as he said these words, he ordered his servants to cast the
rash man into prison. But the rustic by a sudden spring escaped out of
the house and told what had happened to the judges of the city. When,
however, they were a little incredulous, he showed them the jewel which the
serpent had given him, and immediately one of them, perceiving that it was
of great value, bought it of the man at a high price. But the countryman
further proved the truth of his words by conducting some of the citizens to
the dens of the lion and the serpent, when the animals again fawned on
him as before. The judges were thus convinced of his truth, and com-
pelled Vitalis to fulfil the promise which he had given, and to make com-
pensation for the injury which he had done the poor man. This story was
told by king Richard to expose the conduct of ungrateful men.

VOL. H. L

146 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- H9G-

Of the death of William, formerly a citizen of London .

At this time there arose in the city of London a dispute
and difference between the rich and poor, about the allot-
ment of the taxes to be paid into the exchequer, and which
were often, as they said, unequally levied. The cause of
this disagreement was William Fitz-Osbert, who, in con-
tempt of the king's majesty, convoked assemblies of people,
and binding many to him by oath at their meetings, perse-
cuted even unto death his own brother, and two other honest
men, as if they were guilty of treason towards the king, and
at last raised a sedition and disturbance in St. Paul's church.
When at length he learned that for his crimes the anger of
the king was seriously aroused against him, he shut himself
up in a tower of a church, which was the especial property
of the archbishop, thus making a castle of a sacred edifice.
But seeing at length that a band of armed men were assembled,
he, in order to avoid the death with which he was menaced, set
fire to the temple of the blessed virgin, and partly consumed a
place consecrated to God. At last he was dragged forth from
the church, and carried to the tower of London, where having
received final sentence, in order that the punishment of one
might strike terror into the many, he was deprived of his
long garments, and, with his hands tied behind his back,
and his feet fastened together, was drawn through the midst
of the city by horses to the gallows at Tyburn ; he was
there hung in chains, and nine of his fellow conspirators with
him, in order to show that a similar punishment would await
those who were guilty of a similar offence. On the twentieth
of October* in the same year, John dean of Rouen was
consecrated to the bishopric of Winchester. In this year,
too, king Richard built a new castle in the isle of Andelys,
against the wish of Walter archbishop of Rouen ; and after
he had been repeatedly warned to desist from the under-
taking, the aforesaid archbishop put the whole of Normandy
under a ban, and thus went to the court of Rome.f

* November.
+ " About this time there arose a dispute in the city of London between
the poor and the rich on account of the talliage, which was exacted by the
king's agents for the benefit of the exchequer : for the principal men of the
city, whom we call mayors and aldermen, having held a deliberation at their
hustings, wished to preserve themselves free from the burden, and to oppress

A. D. 1196.] IMPRISONMENT OF HUGH DE CHAUMONT. 147

Of the capture of Hugh de Chaumont.

In the same year a battle was fought between the fol-
lowers of the French and English kings, in which Hugh de
Chaumont, a great friend of the former monarch, was taken
prisoner, and brought before the king of the English, who
gave him into the custody of Robert de Ros; that knight
delivered him to the care of William d'Epinay, an attendant
of his, owing to whose treachery he escaped, for he obtained

the poorer classes. Wherefore William Fitz- Robert, surnamed * with the
beard,' because his ancestors in anger against the Normans never shaved,
made opposition to the same, and called the mayors of the city traitors to
our lord the king for the cause above-named ; and the disturbances were so
great in the city that recourse was had to arms. William stirred up a
large number of the middle and lower classes against the mayors and alder-
men, but by their pusillanimity and cowardice the plans of William's con-
federates in resisting the injury done them were dissipated and defeated:
the middle and lower classes were repressed, and the king, his ministers,
and the chief men of the city, charged the whole crime on William. As
the king's party were about to arrest him, he, being a distinguished character
in the city, tall of stature and of great personal strength, escaped, notwith-
standing their exertions, defending himself with nothing but a knife, and
flying into the church of St. Mary of the Arches, demanded the protection
of our Lord, St. Mary and her church, saying that he had resisted an
unjust decree for no other purpose than that all might bear an equal share
of the public burden, and contribute according to their means. His expos-
tulations, however, were not listened to, the majority prevailed, and the
archbishop, to the surprise of many, ordered that he should be dragged
from the church to take his trial, because he had created a sedition and
made such a disturbance among the people of the city. When this was
told to William, he took refuge in the tower of the church, for he knew
that the mayors, whom he had contradicted, sought to take away his life. In
their obstinacy they applied fire, and sacrilegiously burnt down great part of
the church. Thus William was forced to leave the tower, almost suffocated
with the heat and smoke. He was then seized, dragged out of the church,
stripped, and, with his hands tied behind his back, conveyed away to the
tower of London. Soon after, at the instigation of the archbishop, the
principal citizens, and the king's ministers, he was taken from the Tower,
and dragged, tied to a horse's tail, through the middle of London to Ulmet,
a pitiable sight to the citizens and to his own respectable relations in the
city : after which he was hung in chains on a gallows. Thus William of
the Beard was shamefully put to death by his fellow citizens for asserting
the truth and defending the cause of the poor: and if the justice of one's
cause constitutes a martyr, we may surely set him down as one. With him
also were hanged nine of his neighbours or of his family, who espoused his
cause. The same year, John dean of Rouen, was made bishop of Worces-
ter, and consecrated by the archbishop of Canterbury on the 30th of
October." — M. Paris,

l2

148 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- H9G.

the permission of the aforesaid William, and let himself down
from the wall of the castle of Bonville, on the Tuke, where
he was confined, and thus took his leave of them. The king
of England was greatly enraged against Robert de Ros for
this, and took from him a thousand two hundred marks of
silver for his offence, and ordered William d'Epinay to be
hung on a gibbet.

Of the capture of the bishop of Beauvais and William de Merle.

After this event, as John, the king's brother, and Merca-
deus prince of Brabant, were making an excursion before
the city of Beauvais, intent on the capture of booty, Philip,
the bishop of that place, and William de Merle, with his son
and several knights and some soldiers, came out of the city
on them, but were in a short time all taken prisoners, and a
great number of the soldiers slain. The same day, after this
capture, the same English nobles proceeded to Milli, a castle
belonging to the before-named bishop, took it by assault, and
afterwards destroyed it, and then returned in triumph, and
delivered all their captives to the English king ; the bishops,
on account of being taken in arms, was imprisoned, and heavily
loaded with chains.* In this same year a sudden and rapid
inundation of the waters of the Seine involved the adjacent
buildings both wood and stone in destruction, which greatly
alarmed the king of the French, and Maurice the bishop of
Perche, who were staying at Paris ; the king left his palace,
and, taking his son Louis with him, went to pass the night
at St. Genevieve, and the bishop fled to Saint Victor's.

Of a vision which was seen by a certain monk, of purgatory and the places
of punishment ; the reading of which is very useful.

In those days a certain monk, belonging to the convent of
Evesham, fell ill, and for fifteen months was afflicted with

* This affair is given rather more in detail by Matthew Paris, who con-
cludes his narrative as follows : — " The chapter of Beauvais laid a grave
complaint about the capture of their bishop and archdeacon before the
pope, who wrote a friendly letter to king Richard, requesting him to set his
dear son, and the son of the church, at liberty. The king, in respect
towards the pope, ordered the bishop's coat of mail to be carried to his
holiness, with a request that he would see whether it was his son's coat or
not. To which the pope replied, ' He is no son of mine nor of the church;
let him be ransomed at the king's pleasure, for he is a soldier of Mars
rather than of Christ ! ■ "

A.D. 1196.] VISIONS OF THE MONK OP EVESHAM. 149

grievous bodily pain, taking such a nausea of food and drink,
that sometimes for nine days and more he would take nothing
but the least drop of cold water ; no skill of the physician
could cure him, but whatever was offered him by any one by
way of relieving him, had the contrary effect. Thus he lay
languishing on his bed deprived altogether of bodily strength;
he could not even move from the spot unless carried by the
servants. As the day of our Lord's resurrection drew near,
he began to feel easier, and walked about his cell leaning on
his stick; and at length on the night next preceding the
day of our Lord's supper, he went leaning on his stick into
the large hall, instigated by devotion, not knowing whether
he was in the body or in the spirit, and there, whilst the
assembled monks were paying their accustomed nightly de-
votions to the Lord, he felt such an impression of the divine
mercy and heavenly grace, that his own holy devotion
seemed to exceed measure, and from the middle of that
night to the sixth hour of the following day he could not
restrain himself from tears and giving praise to God. He
then sent for two of the brotherhood, called by religious men
* confessors,' one after the other, and there with tears and in
all purity and contrition of heart, he made to each of them a
confession of all his faults, even the smallest of them, whether
against discipline or the commandments of God: he then
asked for and obtained absolution ; and thus in devotion and
giving praise to God he passed the whole day.

How the same monk was found lying as if dead.

On the following night he obtained a little sleep, and
when the bell for matins rang, he rose from his couch and
took his way to the church; but what happened there the
following narrative will tell. On the morning of the follow-
ing day, which was the day of the Preparation, when the
brotherhood had risen to primes, and were crossing before
the chapter-house on their way to the church, they beheld
this same brother lying prostrate and with naked feet before
the abbat's chair, where the brothers were accustomed to
crave pardon, and with his face close to the ground as if he
was asking pardon of some one sitting before him; the
brothers, astonished at this sight ran up, and, trying to raise
him, they found him breathless and motionless, with his eyes

150 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1196.

turned up, and the balls of the eyes and the nose wet with a
quantity of blood. They all together cried out that he was
dead, finding that he had lost all motion of the veins for a
length of time ; but at length discovering that he breathed,
although but slightly, they washed his neck, breast, and
hands, with cold water. In the first place they saw him
tremble slightly throughout his whole body, but he soon
became quiet and remained without motion ; for a long time
they were in doubt how to act, not knowing for certain
whether he was dead or had got better ; at length, after a
debate, they carried him into the infirmary, and placing him
on a bed, appointed some persons to keep a careful watch
over him ; they next applied plasters to his chest, and
pricked the souls of his feet with needles, but could find no
signs of life in him. In this manner, then, lying on his bed
altogether motionless, he remained for two days, that is,
from midnight of the Preparation, till midnight of the follow-
ing sabbath; but on the great sabbath, when the monks
were about to assemble for midnight mass, the eyelids of the
aforesaid brother began to quiver slightly, and after a while
a moisture, like tears, began to flow gently over his cheeks,
and, as any one would lament in his sleep, he seemed to
utter frequent sighs, and after a while he seemed to be
uttering words in his throat with a deep though scarcely
audible sound : at length as his breath by degrees returned,
he began to call upon Saint Mary, saying, " O holy Mary !
O holy Mary ! for what crime am I deprived of joy so im-
mense?" In this manner, often repeating these and other
words, he made known to the bystanders his deprivation of
some great joy. After this, as if awaking out of a deep
sleep, he shook his head, and, weeping bitterly, he began to
sob, his tears flowing unceasingly; then, with his hands
clasped and his fingers hitched together he raised himself
suddenly to a sitting posture, and placing his head covered
with his hands oh his knees, he continued unceasingly, as he
had begun, his lamentable moanings. After many entreaties
by the brethren that he would, after such a long fasting and
suffering, take something to eat, he took a small piece of
bread, and then continued awake in prayer ; on being asked
if he expected to escape from his sickness-, he answered, " I
shall live long enough, because I have entirely recovered

A.D. 1196.J RELATION OF THE VISION. 151

from my weakness." On the night following, that is, of our
Lord's resurrection, when the bell was ringing for matins,
he went to church without any support, and, what he had
not done for eleven months before, entered the choir. On
the day after, when his religious rites were duly performed,
he was deemed worthy to be refreshed by a participation in
the holy communion.

How the aforesaid monk related the vision that he had seen.

After this the same brother eagerly joined in the religious
duties of the other monks ; and they earnestly entreated him
to relate for their edification what had happened to him and
all that he had seen in his sleep ; for they were convinced
that many things had been shown him, by evident signs, and
from having heard his words and beheld his unceasing lamen-
tations when he awoke on the previous day. After putting
them off for some time, they became urgent in their request,
and at length with incessant tears and groans, choking his
voice, he related the circumstances in order as follow: —
" When," said he, " I was, as you know, failing from severe
and lengthened bodily infirmity, and was blessing God ver-
bally and mentally, and was returning him thanks for deign-
ing to chasten his unworthy servant with his fatherly rod,
after I had given up all hope of recovery, I began, as much
as I could, to prepare myself, in order that I might escape
the punishments of the future state, as I was on the point of
being called from the body. Whilst I was diligently thinking
on these things, I fell into temptation to ask of God that
he would in some manner deign to reveal to me what was
the state of the life to come, and what was the condition after
this life, of souls released from the body ; that, by learning
this, I might more clearly ascertain what I, who was about, as
I thought, to depart this life shortly, had to hope for and what
to fear, that I might thus gain as much as I could on God's
affection, whilst I was wavering in this precarious state.
Desiring, then, to be satisfied on this, I with incessant sup-
plications kept invoking, at one time our Lord the Saviour
of the world, at another time the glorious virgin, his mother,
at another I called on all the elect people of God ; but it was
especially through the intercession of the most pious and
holy saint Nicholas the confessor, that I hope to gain the

152 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- H96.

end of my pious request; and behold, one night near the
commencement of the Lent which we have just passed over,
as I was sleeping a little, there appeared to me a venerable
and altogether comely personage, who in most pleasant words
addressed me as follows : — ' Most beloved son, great is your
devotion in prayer, and great perseverance have you in your
purpose, nor will the continual aim of your prayer be fruit-
less through the clemency of the Redeemer; henceforward
be of calm mind, and continue devout in prayer, for without
doubt you will soon attain the object of your petition.'
Having thus spoken, the image of the speaker vanished and
I awoke."

How the same monk, as he was worshipping our Lord's cross, saw it

become bloody.

"But, although awake, I still kept this vision steadily in
mind, and, after six weeks had passed, when on the night
of our Lord's supper I had risen to matins, and received, as
you remember, discipline at your hands, I felt in the midst
of it such a sweetness of mind diffused over me, that on the
day following I felt it most pleasant to weep incessantly, as
with your own eyes you saw. On the next night after this,
which was the Preparation, as the hour approached for
rising to matins, I sank into a calm sleep ; then again I
heard the same voice, but by whose agency it was conveyed to
my ears, I know not ; ' Arise,' it said, 'go into the oratory, and
approach the altar consecrated to the worship of St. Laurence,
and behind that altar you will find the cross, which it is the
custom of the convent to worship on the day of the Preparation ;
for unless you do thus, nothing can be fulfilled by you on the
morrow; for a long journey remains to you; wherefore,
adore our Lord's cross in memory of himself, and offer the
sacrifice of a humble and contrite heart, knowing for certain,
that the offering of your devotion will be acceptable to the
Lord, and that you shall hereafter rejoice abundantly in its
richness.' After this I awoke from sleep, and proceeded, as
it seemed to me, with the brethren, to hear matins ; which
being commenced, I met in the vestibule of the church, an
old man clothed in white garments, that one from whom,
on the preceding night, I had received discipline. I then
beckoned him by the usual nod to give me discipline, on which
we went into the chapter- house, and after having effected

A.D. 1196.] VISIONS OF PURGATORY. 153

my purpose, we returned to the oratory. I then went alone
to the altar mentioned to me in my sleep, took off my shoes,
and crawling on my knees, made for the place where I had
been told the cross of our Saviour would be found. As had
been foretold to me, I found it there, and shortly I became
entirely dissolved in tears, and throwing myself on the
ground at full length, I most devoutly worshipped it ; as I
was thus kneeling before the face of the image, and was
kissing it on the mouth and eyes, I felt some drops falling
gently on my forehead, and on removing my fingers, I, from
their colour, discovered it to be blood ; moreover, I saw the
blood flowing from the side of the image on the cross, as it
does from a living man's veins when cut for letting blood.
I caught in my hand I know not how many drops as they
fell, and with it I devoutly anointed my eyes, ears, and
nostrils ; afterwards, if I sinned in this I know not, I
swallowed one drop of it in my zeal, but the rest which I
had caught in my hand I determined to keep.

How the same monk ivas separated from the body, and entered the first
place of punishment,

" When I had thus worshipped our Lord's cross, I, after a
time, heard behind me the voice of the venerable man from
whom, on the preceding night, I had received discipline.
Then, leaving my shoes and staff near the altar, I know not
how, I went to the chapter-house, and after receiving dis-
cipline, six several times, as I had done before, I received
absolution. This same old man was seated in the abbat's
chair, and I prostrated myself before him, but he approached
me, saying these words only, < Follow me.' After he had
raised me up, he took hold of my right hand firmly, yet
gently, and we remained all the time with our hands linked
together, and at that time I was deprived of all sense of
body and mind. We then walked on a smooth road,
straight towards the east, until we arrived in a large
tract of country, dreadful to look at, in a marshy situation,
and deformed with hard thickened mud. In this place were
such a multitude of men, or spirits, that no one could count
them, who were exposed to various and unmentionable tor-
tures ; in this place was a great crowd of both sexes, of
every condition, profession, and rank, and all kinds of sin-
ners condemned to torments according to the variety of their

154 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A. D. 1196.

professions, and the degrees of their offences. Throughout
the broad extent of that plain, beyond the extremities of '
which no eye-sight could reach, I saw and heard crowds of
wretched beings collected in miserable troops, and bound
in flocks according to the similarity of their crimes and
professions, whilst they all were equally burning, though
their cries were different. Whatsoever people I saw, and
for whatsoever sins they were punished, I noticed clearly
both the nature of their sin, and the degree of their punish-
ment, whereby, atoning for their crimes, or by the inter-
cession of others, they might in that place of exile and punish-
ment, earn admission into the heavenly country. But some
I saw endure more severe torments with a calm mind, and,
as if conscious of a reward laid up for them, thinking lightly
of the horrible agonies they endured. Some I beheld leap
suddenly forth from their place of torture, and make their
way as fast as they could to the extremities of the place ;
and when they, dreadfully burned as they were, were
emerging from the pits, the torturers ran to them with forks,
torches, and every sort of instrument of torture, and restored
them back to their punishments again, to inflict every kind of
cruelty on them ; nevertheless, though thus wounded, thus
burned, and pierced to the heart by their lashes, they at
length came forth, always going in regular gradation from
the most severe to more tolerable sufferings ; for some of the
most atrocious there remained a most horrible death, without
proceeding to more severe tortures : each of them was
treated according as they were benefited or impeded by their
former actions, or by the good works of their friends.
Endless were the kinds of punishment whi6h I saw ; some
were roasted before fire ; others were fried in pans ; red hot
nails were driven into some to their bones ; others were
tortured with a horrid stench in baths of pitch and sulphur,
mixed with molten lead, brass, and other kinds of metal ;
immense worms with poisonous teeth gnawed some ; others,
in thick ranks, were transfixed on stakes with fiery thorns ;
the torturers tore them with their nails, flogged them with
dreadful scourges, and lacerated them in dreadful agonies.
I saw in that place many who were known to me, and who
had been intimate with me in this life, tortured in various
ways, some of whom were bishops, some abbats, and some of

A.D. 1196.] VISIONS OF PURGATORY. 155

other stations ; some in the ecclesiastic, some in the secular
forum, some in the cloister. I saw all these ; and the less
that they were in their former life supported by the privi-
leges of honour, the more lenient were the punishments
inflicted on them there. As a truth I now tell what I par-
ticularly noticed, which was that all those whom I knew to
have been the judges of others or prelates in this life, were
tormented more than the rest with an increased degree of
severity. It would be too tedious for me to speak of what
they severally received as their deserts, or what they suf-
fered, however conspicuous all things were to me ; but God is
my witness, that if I saw any one, even had he slain all my
friends and relatives, condemned to such torture, I would,
were it possible, endure a temporal death a thousand times
to snatch him from them, especially since all things which
are there penal, exceed all measure of pain, bitterness, and
misery.

Of the second place of punishment in purgatory, and the variety of

punishments.

"After we had gone beyond this place of punishment, I and
my guide passed onwards unhurt, as we did also other places
of'torment, which I shall relate below. After this then we
arrived at another place of torment; the two places were
separated by a mountain almost touching the clouds, over
the top of which we passed easily and quickly. Under the
farther side of this mountain was a very deep and dark
valley, girt round on either side by ridges of lofty rocks, over
which the sight could not extend ; the bottom of the valley
itself contained a piece of water, whether flowing or stag-
nant I know not, very wide and dreadful, owing to its
stinking water, which continually sent forth a vapour of
intolerable odour. The side of the mountain overhanging
one part of the lake sent forth fire to the heavens ; on the
opposite promontory of the same hill there was such an
intense cold, caused by snow, hail, and raging storms, that I
thought I had never before seen anything more torturing than
the cold at that place. The region of the above-mentioned
valley, and the sides of both mountains, which bore this
dreadful appearance of heat and cold, were occupied by a
crowd of spirits, as numerous as bees at the time of swarm-
ing ; and their punishment in general was at one time to be

156 ROGER OP WENDOVER. [A.D. 1196.

dipped in the foetid lake ; at another, breaking forth from
thence, they were devoured by the volumes of name which
met them, and at length, in fluctuating balls of fire, as if
sparks from a furnace were tossed on high, and fell to the
bottom of the other bank ; they were again restored to the
whirlings of the winds, the cold of the snow, and the
asperity of the hail ; then, thrown forth from thence, and as
if flying from the violence of the storms, they were again
thrust back into the stench of the lake, and the burnings of
the raging fire. Some were tortured by the cold, some by
the heat, for a long time, and some were kept for a long
period in the stink of the lake. I saw others, like olives in
a press, pressed and jammed together in the midst of the
flames so incessantly, that it is horrible to relate. Of all
those then who were there tortured, the condition was this,
that for the fulfilment of their purification they were com-
pelled to pass through the whole surface of that lake from
the beginning to the end. There was, however, a very
great and manifold distinction amongst those who were
tortured in this place, for some of them were allowed an easy
and quick transit, according to their merits, and the assist-
ance rendered to them after their death ; whilst those guilty
of greater crimes, or less assisted by the masses of their
friends, were punished more severely and for a longer time :
but to all of them, the nearer they approached the end of the
lake the less severe was the torture remaining to be endured,
for those who were placed at the beginning, felt the punish-
ment most severely, although all did not suffer alike; and
the lightest torments of that place were more cruel than the
most severe ones of the place we saw before. In this place
of punishment I found and recognised many more acquaint-
ances than I had seen in the first purgatory, and with some
indeed I conversed. Amongst them 1 recognized a certain
goldsmith who had been well known to me in life ; but my
guide, seeing me look at him earnestly, inquired if I knew
him, and on his learning that he had been well known to me,
he said, " If you know him, speak to him." But the spirit
looking at us, and recognizing us with a gesture of unspeak-
able delight, gave praise to the man, my guide, and with
out-stretched hands, and by a frequent bending of the whole
of its body, worshipped him, and making obeisance, thanked

A.D. 1196.] VISIONS OF FUIiGATORY. 157

him much for kindnesses conferred on him. As he frequently
cried out, ' Holy Nicholas, have pity on me,' I was pleased
to recognize the name of my dear protector, St. Nicholas,
from whom I hoped to obtain salvation both of body and
soul. On my then asking the goldsmith how he had thus
quickly gone through the cruel torments I had seen him
suffering, he answered, ' You, my friend,' said he, ' and all
my acquaintances, who, during my life, saw that all the
supports of the Christian faith were denied me, such as con-
fession and the viaticum, considered me a lost man, not
knowing the mercy of my lord, who is with me, namely,
St. Nicholas, who did not suffer me, his unhappy servant, to
undergo the death of everlasting damnation ; for now and
ever, since I have been consigned to this place of punish-
ment, when I was suffering under a severe torture, I have
been refreshed by the visitation of his compassion. For in
gold working, in which art I, in my life-time, committed
many frauds, I now make most severe atonement, since I am
frequently thrown into a heap of burning money, and most
intolerably scorched : being often compelled to swallow with
gaping mouth those very coins, which consume my internal
parts ; and moreover, am often obliged to count these coins,
and feel my hands and fingers consumed and burned by
them.' I then asked him, if men could by any remedy
avoid such a dreadful torture ; to which he replied with a
sigh, ' If men were daily to write with the finger on their
foreheads and on the parts near their heart, "Jesus of
Nazareth, king of the Jews," those of the faith would doubt-
lessly be preserved harmless, and, after their death, those very
places would shine with a bright splendour.' These and
many other things I heard from him ; but let us hasten to
describe other things, and let what has been said suffice.

Of the third place of punishment, and the manifold variety of torments,

" I and my guide, then, having left this truly called valley
of tears which we got to in the second place, we arrived at a
large plain situated low down in the bosom of the earth, and
which seemed inaccessible to all except to torturing devils,
and tortured spirits. The surface of that plain was covered
by a great and horrible chaos, mixed with a sulphureous
smoke, and a cloud of intolerable stench, with a flame of a

158 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1196.

pitchy blackness, and this rising from all directions was
diffused in a dreadful way, through the whole of that void
space. The surface of the place abounded with a multitude
of worms in the same way as the court-yards of houses are
covered with rushes ; and these, dreadful beyond conception,
of a monstrous size and deformed, with a dreadful gaping of
their jaws, and exhaling execrable fire from their nostrils,
lacerated the crowds of wretched beings with a, voracity not
to be escaped from ; and the devils running in all directions,
raging like mad creatures, took the wretched beings and at
one time were cutting them up piece by piece with their
fiery prongs, at another time were tearing all their flesh off
to the bone, at another time threw them into the fire, melted
them like metals, and restored them in the shape of burning
flame. Little it is, I call God to witness, yea nothing, that I
recollect of the punishments of that place ; for God knows
that, in a very brief space of time I saw those wretched
beings destroyed by a hundred or more different kinds of
torture, and soon afterwards restored again, and again
reduced almost to nothing, and then again renewed ; for a
lost life caused them to be tortured in that place, and owing
to the different kinds of punishment there was no end to
their sufferings. For the flame of that fire was so devouring,
that you would think an ordinary fire or fever to be luke-
warm in comparison with it ; dead worms torn in pieces were
collected in heaps beneath the wretches, filling every thing
with an intolerable stench which surpassed all other suffering.
The most loathsome and severe of all remains yet to be told ;
for all who were punished there had, in their life, been guilty
of wickedness which is unmentionable by a Christian, or
even by a heathen or a pagan. Those therefore were con-
tinually attacked by huge monsters of a fiery appearance and
horrible beyond description, which, notwithstanding their
opposition, committed on them the damnable crimes of which
they had been guilty on earth ; and their cries were horrid
until they fainted apparently dead, when they again revived
to be exposed to fresh torments. I tremble while relating it,
and am beyond measure confounded at the filthiness of their
crime, for till that time I had never heard or thought that
both sexes could have been corrupted by such filthiness, and,
oh shame ! such an innumerable crowd of such wretches as

A.D. 1196.] VISIONS OF PURGATORY. 159

was there found most pitiably to be pitied. The figures of
many in that place I neither saw nor recognized, for I was
overcome with horror by the enormity of the torments and
obscenity, and by the filthy stench ; so that it was beyond
measure offensive to me either to stop there a moment, or to
look at what was being done there. Lastly amid the dread-
ful din one of them cried out, ' Alas ! why did I not repent ?'
so loud was their grief that you would have thought all the
sufferers in the world were there lamenting.

Of a certain lawyer and his punishments,

" Although I avoided as much as I could to look at what
was passing there, I could not escape seeing a certain clerk,
whom I had once known ; he, in his life, was considered a
most skilful man, of those who are styled lawyers and
decretalists, wherefore in ecclesiastical revenues he was every
day getting richer than the rest. I was astonished at the
weight of his sufferings, and on my asking whether he
expected to obtain mercy at all, he answered, crying out,
' Alas, alas, woe is me, I know, I know that I shall not receive
mercy this side of the day of judgment, and even then I
think it is uncertain, for ever since I have been subjected to
these sufferings, my punishment grows worse, dragging me
on from bad to worse.' I said to him, ' Why then did you
not at the last confess your sins and repent.' He answered,
i Because I had hopes of recovering, the devil beguiling me, I
was ashamed to confess such disgraceful crimes, lest I should
seem to be unrespected by them to whom I appeared
renowned and noble. Some of my slighter offences I did
however confess to the priest, and on his asking me, if I was
conscious of any other sins, I asked him to leave me then,
promising to let him know again if any should occur to my
memory. When he had departed, and had gone a little way,
I felt myself dying ; and when he was fetched back by my
servants he found that I was dead. Therefore none of the
thousand kinds of torments which I daily endure, tortures
me so much as the recollection of my fault, because I am
actually compelled to be a slave to the baseness of my
former weakness, for besides the greatness of this unspeak-
able punishment, I am oppressed with intolerable shame,
when I appear as one to be execrated for such great offences."

160 ROGER OP WENDOVER. [A.D. 1196.

At the moment he was thus speaking to me, I saw him
tortured in numberless ways, and in the midst of them to be
reduced as it were to nothing, and to be dissolved by the
force of the heat like melted lead. I also asked St. Nicholas,
who stood by me, if such torments could be alleviated by
any kind of remedy ; and he answered ' When the day of
judgment arrives, then will be accomplished the will of
Christ, for he alone knows the hearts of all, and then he
will afford to all a just retribution.' Afterwards when I had
returned to the body, that priest, to whom the lawyer had
confessed only his light offences, came to me, and called God
to witness in the presence of many, that what I said was
true, since no one but himself knew these things. Of the
punishments of many, which I saw, I omit to make mention,
fearing lest, if I should speak further of them, I should
create a loathing in my readers, but let these few chosen
from the many suffice.

Of the vision which the same monk saw of the eternal glory of the blessed.

u Having thus in part described the things which we saw of
the punishment and penal places of the wretched, it now
remains for us to speak of the consolations of those at rest,
and of the eternal glory of the blessed, which we beheld with
our own eyes. After we had walked for a long time, amidst
the different kinds of punishment which I have mentioned
above, and had beheld the various sufferings of the wretched,
as we made our way towards the inner regions, the light
began by degrees to appear more pleasant ; here the fragrance
of a sweet odour, there the richness of a plain flourishing
with many kinds of flowers afforded us incredible pleasure.
In this plain we found endless thousands of men or spirits
who, after passing through their punishments, were enjoying
the happy rest of the blessed. Those whom we found in the
first portion of this plain, had garments white indeed, bat
not shining, but there did not appear any blackness or stain
in them, although they shone in an inferior degree of white-
ness. Amongst these I saw several who had been known to
me formerly, for I recognized there a certain abbess who
had lately come from the places of punishment, who was
clothed in garments unstained, though not very bright; I
also saw and recognized there a certain prior who after being

A. D. 1196.] THE SECOND PLACE OF REST. 161

freed from all punishment was rejoicing in happy peace with
the spirits of the just, in sure hope of the divine vision with
which he was about to be rewarded. In that same place too
I saw a priest, who having been possessed of the grace of
preaching united to the example of a good life, had
reclaimed from deadly sin the people not only of the parishes
of which he had the pastoral care, but also those who were
at a distance from him, and by the Lord's co-operation, an
inexpressible glory rested on many by his means as on him-
self.

Of the second place of rest, and the glory of those dvjelling there.

" As we proceeded from thence to the interior of this region
of sweetness, the clearness of the light and the sweetness of
the odour smiled on us more. But all whom this place con-
tained were enrolled as inhabitants of the Upper Jerusalem,
who had passed through all their punishments so easily, since
they had been less ensnared by the vices of the world. And
what we saw as we went on, the tongue cannot reveal or human
weakness worthily describe ; for who by words could worthily
explain how, in the midst of blessed spirits of whom endless
thousands stood round, as if present at the sacred solemnity
of our Lord's passion, himself the pious Redeemer of the
human race appeared as it were hanging on the cross, with
his whole body bloody from scourgings, insulted by spitting,
crowned with thorns, with nails driven into him, pierced
with the lance, while streams of blood flowed over his hands
and feet, and blood and water dropped from his holy side !
Near him stood his mother, not anxious and sorrowful now,
but rejoicing and looking with a most calm countenance on
such an indescribable sight. Can any one indeed imagine
with what eagerness all ran together to this spectacle, what
devotion there was amongst those who beheld it, what a con-
course of worshippers there was, how many were their
indications of thanks for such great kindness ? As I thought
more profoundly of these things I know not whether it was
grief or devotion which distracted my unhappy mind, but
astonishment and admiration deprived me of sense. But what
devotion is it, that the devil should be conquered by this
contumely, and hell be defeated and robbed of its weapons
and spoils, the lost man be recovered, and the prey of devils

VOL. II. M

162 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1196.

be snatched from their infernal prison-house and placed in
heaven amongst the choir of angels ? Many things, which I
saw and heard here, I fear to relate, lest they should appear
unusual and incredible to many. At length, after a length of
time spent in looking at this blessed vision, the vision itself
suddenly disappeared ; and in the hallowed place, where the
glory of such a mystery had existed, they all returned with
delight, each to his appointed place, and I followed my guide,
full of admiration, to the inner regions into the abodes of the
blessed; here was the brightness of those assembled, here
the fragrance of sweet smell, here the harmony of those
singing praises to God.

Of the third place of happiness and the visions of God,

< 'After proceeding for some distance, and as the pleasantness
of the places before us increased, I saw what appeared a wall
of crystal, which was so high that no one could look over it,
and to the extent of which there was no end, and on our
approaching it, I saw it glittered with a most shining bright-
ness from within, I also saw the entrance to it open, but
marked with the protecting sign of the cross ; thither ap-
proached crowds of those who being near were very
anxious to enter, and the cross in the middle of the gate now
raising itself on high, opened an entrance to those who
approached ; afterwards, falling again, it denied admittance to
those who wished to enter. How joyfully those who were
admitted went in, or how reverently those who remained
shut out waited for the next raising of the cross, I can-
not describe. Here my guide stopped with me some time,
but as we at length went forward the cross was raised and
the entrance was opened for us to enter; my companion
entered without hindrance, and I was following, when on a
sudden the cross descended upon our hands and was about to
prevent me from following my guide ; on seeing which I was
in great alarm, but heard these words proceed from him,
' Fear not,' said he, * only put your trust in the Lord and
enter in safety ;' on this my confidence returned, and when
the cross granted an entrance I went in. But how glittering
was the inconceivable brightness, or how strong was the
light which filled all those places, let no one ask of me, for
this I am not able to express in words, nor even to recollect

A.D. 1196.] THE MONK RESTORED TO HIS BODY. 163

in my mind. That soft and glittering splendour so dazzled
my eyes, that I could think of nothing to be compared to it
which I had ever seen before; for that brightness, incon-
ceivable as it was, did not blind the eye-sight, but rather
sharpened it; and as I looked on it, nothing else met my
sight than the light and the wall of crystal before mentioned.
Moreover from the bottom to the top of it steps of a wonder-
ful beauty were arranged, by means of which the crowds of
rejoicing spirits ascended as soon as they were let in at the
door; there was no toil to those who went up, no difficulty,
and no delay in the ascent, for the step above was always
ascended more easily than the one below had been. And
when I directed my eyes above, I beheld, sitting on a throne
of glory, our Lord and Saviour in human form, and, as it
seemed to me, the spirits of five or seven hundred blessed
beings, who had lately ascended by the before-mentioned
road to the place of the throne, coming round him in a circle,
and with signs of thanksgiving worshipping him. But it
was most evident to me, that the place which I saw was not
the heaven of heavens, where the Lord of lords will appear
in Sion, as if he were in his majesty; but that from thence,
after all difficulty and delay is removed, spirits ascend to
that heaven which is blessed by the presence of the eternal
Deity. In this vision, however, I conceived in my mind so
much delight and joy, so much happiness and exultation, that
whatever can be explained by human ingenuity would fail to
express the delight of my heart which I there felt.

How the said monk was restored to his body.

"After I had seen and heard these and numberless
other things, St. Nicholas briefly spoke to me, ' Lo ! my son,'
said he, 'thou hast now as thou wishedst, as far as was
possible for thee, in part beheld the condition of the life to
come, the dangers of sinners, the punishment of the wicked,
the rest of the purified, the joys of those who at length
reach the court of heaven, and the mysteries of our Lord's
suffering. You must now return to your mortal struggles ;
but you will receive, if you persevere in the fear of God, the
things which you have with your own eyes beheld, and
much greater than these, if you endeavour with an immacu-
late body and innocent heart to await the day of your last

m2

164 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1197.

calling.' Whilst he was thus speaking to me, I suddenly
heard a note of wondrous sweetness, as if the bells of all the
world, or everything that is musical, were all sounding
together. In this sound there was a wonderful sweetness
and a various mixture of melody, and I know not whether it
was most to be admired for its grandeur or its sweetness.
Whilst I was anxiously listening to such an unusual sound,
and had lost my recollection, I found myself, as soon as it
ceased, deprived of the company of my guide; and the
strength of my body returning, and my eyes being restored to
the faculty of sight;, the pain of my former sickness was
destroyed ; and being altogether freed from my weakness, I
sat amongst you strong and healthy, although anxious and
sorrowful. Being therefore restored to myself, as soon as I
heard from the brothers that the festival of Easter was
approaching, I considered that the music I had heard was a
sign, that even amongst the inhabitants of heaven the mystery
of the salvation of the human race is observed with joy and
festivity by the inhabitants of heaven, even as it was wrought
on earth by Him who created the world and the heavens out
of nothing, Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father
and the Hply Spirit, be all honour and glory world without
end. Amen."

Of the death of Henry king of Jerusalem.

At this same time Henry of Champagne, who had suc-
ceeded Guy as king of Jerusalem, fell from the upper window
of a house into the street, and, breaking his neck, was killed ;
he was a nephew of the kings of France and England, Philip
and Richard, being a son of the daughter of Louis king of the
French, Philip's father, whom he had by Eleanor, his queen,
afterwards married to king Henry, father of king Richard.
When therefore the above-named king died, the condition of
the Holy Land necessarily required a new one ; on which, by
the unanimous consent of the priests and people, the election
fell on an illustrious Frenchman, John de Brienne, a man
well skilled in warfare, who was at once crowned king, and
under his rule the affairs of the kingdom prospered.

King Richard sent messengers to Rome to complain of tlte archbishop of

Rouen.

a.d. 1197. King Richard was at Bure, in Normandy,

A.D. 1197.] DEATH OF THE BISHOP OF ELY. 165

and was in great trouble because the archbishop of Rouen
had placed Normandy under an interdict, for the bodies of
the dead were lying unburied in the squares and streets of the
cities, which caused a great stench amongst the living. He
therefore sent William bishop of Ely, his chancellor, with the
bishops of Durham and Lisieux, to the court of Rome, to
plead his cause against the said archbishop ; but William
bishop of Ely died on his way to Rome, at Poictiers, and
was buried in the Cistercian convent of Dispin, on the 29th
of January. The before-named bishops, however, his com-
panions, proceeded on their journey and arrived at Rome.
When the parties were convened in presence of our lord the
pope, and had been heard carefully, our lord the pope and his
cardinals after long deliberation, considering the damage and
trouble which might accrue to the king in Normandy unless
that castle was built in Andelys, advised the archbishop to
come to an amicable arrangement with their lord the king,
and to accept from him an adequate compensation in the
estimation of wise men for what he had lost;* for they
declared that it was quite lawful for any one who w^as able to
do so, like the king of England, to strengthen the weaker parts
of his kingdom that he might not suffer any loss or injury
therefrom. With these terms of peace the messengers of
both parties returned, and procured a reversion of the
sentence of interdict.

Form of the agreement which was made between king Richard and the
archbishop of Rouen.

The form of peace and agreement made between the king
of England and the archbishop of Rouen was as follows :
" Richard, by the grace of God, king of England, &c.
Since the holy church is the spouse of the Eternal King,
and the only beloved of Him by whom kings do reign and
princes hold their authority, we wish to pay it the more
reverence and devotion, the more firm we are in our belief
that not only the kingly but all power is from the Lord
God ; wherefore, as the holy church of Rouen, which is

* " For the village of Andelys and some adjoining places, which the
king had taken from the archbishop, that he might strengthen the weak
points of his territories, he gave the archbishop in exchange all the royal
mill3 at Rouen with their appurtenances, the villages of Dieppe and Buceles
with all their liberties." — Matthew Paris.

166 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1197.

known to be most celebrated amongst all our dominions,
deems it meet carefully to consult our interests according to
the necessities of time and other circumstances, so we have
thought fit to pay a meet compensation for the advantage and
increase of the same church, our mother. Since the town of
Andelys and some other adjacent places, which belonged to
the church of Rouen, were not sufficiently fortified, and
there was a way of ingress opened to our enemies into our
country of Normandy, through those same places, by means
of which they sometimes insultingly assailed the same
country with fire and rapine, and other cruelties of warfare.
Wherefore, the right worshipful Walter our father, the
archbishop and the chapter of Rouen, having due regard
to our losses in the before-named country, an exchange has
been made between the church of Rouen and archbishop
Walter of the one part, and ourselves of the other part, con-
cerning the manor of Andelys, as follows : to wit, that the
said archbishop, with the consent and by the wish of our
lord the pope, Celestine the third, and with the consent of the
chapter of the church of Rouen, hath granted, and for ever
quit-claimed to us and our heirs, the aforesaid manor of Andelys,
with the new castle of ' the Rock,' the forest, and all other its
appurtenances and liberties, except the churches and the
necessaries for soldiers, and except the manor of Freisnas,
with its appurtenances, all which the said archbishop retains,
the church of Rouen, himself and his heirs, with all their
liberties and free customs, and in all their entirety for ever.
But in exchange for the aforesaid manor of Andelys with
its appurtenances, we have granted, and for ever quit-
claimed to the church of Rouen, the aforesaid archbishop and
his successors, all the mills which we possessed at Rouen
when this exchange was made, together with all appurte-
nances and grinding instruments, without any reserve of the
things which appertain to the mill or to grinding, and with
all liberties and free customs which they are accustomed or
ought to have ; and it shall not be lawful for any one to
build a mill at that place, to the detriment of the mills afore-
said. We have, moreover, also granted to them the towns ot
Dieppe and Buceles, with their appurtenances and liberties,
also the manor of Loures, and the forest of Haliermunt, with
the wild beasts and all other its appurtenances and liberties.

A. D. 1197.] ALLIANCE OF RICHARD AND BALDWIN. 167

And the church of Rouen and the aforesaid archbishop,
and his successors will hold all these places in exchange for
the aforesaid manor of Andeleys for ever, as witness these

names * This exchange has been effected at Rouen

in the year of grace 1197, and in the eighth year of our
reign."|

How king Richard carried the body of St. Valery to Normandy, and there

burned several ships.

At this time a hint was given to king Richard that ships
were in the habit of coming from England to St. Valery to
bring provisions to the king of the French and his other
enemies; he therefore marched to that place, burned the
town, destroyed the monks, and carried away the coffin of
St. Valery, with his bones, into Normandy. In the harbour
there he found some English ships laden with corn and pro-
visions ; whereupon he ordered their crews to be hung, and
after burning the ships, bestowed the provisions on his
soldiers.

How king Richard secured the alliance of the count of Flanders.

About this same time king Richard, by presents, enticed
all who were powerful in the French kingdom, into friendship
with him : he gave five thousand marks of silver to Baldwin
count of Flanders for his assistance, and that prince gave
hostages to the king as a security that he would not make
any terms with the king of the French without his consent.
The inhabitants of Champagne, with those also of Brittany,
left the king of the French and joined the side of king
Richard. William Crepin, constable of Auge, being com-
pelled by force, surrendered the same castle to the English
king, who immediately garrisoned it ; and the French king
assembled an army and laid siege to it. Whilst this was
going on, the king of the English made a hostile descent

* The names are omitted,
•j* " In those days there arose in France a famous preacher, by whom God
wrought miracles openly ; he endeavoured to eradicate usury among the
French, who had imbibed that vice from the Italians, and were much con-
taminated by it. This preacher, whose name was Fulk, sent a certain
priest, namely, the abbat de Flai, into England, to put down the horrors of
traffic on Sunday, and the abbat, on his arrival, eradicated this unseemly
practice in many places. At this time, Robert of Shrewsbury was conse-
crated bishop of Bangor." — M, Paris.

168 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1197.

on Auvergne, and took ten of the French king's castles, and
a great number of his followers ; but before the former could
return into Normandy, the French king had taken the
castle of Anjou,* but on the receipt of fifty marks of silver,
he gave up the soldiers of the garrison, safe in life and
limb, and with their horses and arms, but the king retained
the castle and strengthened it.

How the French king was close pressed in Flanders.

In the meantime, Baldwin count of Flanders besieged the
castle of Arras, and the king of the French hearing of this,
came thither with a large army ; but on his arrival the count
raised the siege and departed for his own dominions, with
the king of France in pursuit. But when the latter monarch
had advanced a good way amongst the lakes and inlets of the
sea, the count of Flanders caused all the bridges to be
broken, and the aqueducts to be opened, both in the front and
rear of the French king, so that he could neither advance or
retreat, nor could any provisions be brought to him. The
king, being in this dilemma, sent word to the count that he
had come there with the intention of making amicable
arrangements with him, or of recalling him from his fealty
to the English king ; he, moreover, told the count that he
was his liege subject, on which account he ought not, nor
did it become him, to fight against his crown. The count,
however, before he permitted the king of the French to
depart, made him swear that he would restore both to him-
self, the count, and to the king of the English, all the castles
and other their rights, which he had taken possession of
during the war, and he appointed a day for the performance
of this agreement, arranging that he himself as well as the
English king should come to a conference on the Wednesday
after the exaltation of the holy cross, between Gaillon and
Andelys ; and then the French king, thus escaping capture
by the duke, returned to his own dominions. But after he
had got back to Paris he took counsel with his nobles in
order to break from his agreement ; for he did not consider
himself bound to keep an oath which he had made on com-
pulsion.

* Dangu in the original.

A.D. 1198.] OTHO, KING OF GERMANY. 1G9

Of certain useful laws enacted by king Richard.
In the same year, on the day of St. Edmund the king and
martyr, king Richard, at the instance of Hubert archbishop
of Canterbury and justiciary of England, made a decree at
Westminster, that, throughout England all measures of corn
and pulse, both in cities and other places, should be of the
same size, and especially the measure of ale, wine, and the
weights of merchants. It was also decreed that woollen
cloths in all parts of the kingdom should be two ells
wide, within the borders, and should be as good in the middle
as they were at the sides. It was, moreover, decreed that
no trader should hang up before his shop red or black cloths,
or anything else by which the sight of purchasers should be
deceived in choosing a good cloth. A decree was also
passed that no dye, except black, should be anywhere made
use of in the kingdom, except in the capital cities or the
boroughs ; and if any one should be convicted of transgress-
ing any of these laws, that his body should be imprisoned,
and his goods confiscated to the revenue. In this same
year, Philip, a clerk of the king's, of the country of Poictou,
was elected bishop of Durham, and was consecrated at the
Lateran by pope Celestine.

Of the coronation of Otho, as king of Germany.

a.d. 1198. In the ninth year of king Richard's reign, on
the recommendation of the same monarch, his nephew Otho
was crowned king of Alemaine or Germany; he directly
married the daughter of the duke of Louvain, and on the
day of his coronation sat at table in the church with her,
though she was not crowned at that time. In the same year,
on the death of pope Celestine, Innocent the Third succeeded
him, and on St. Peter's day was consecrated pope and placed
in St. Peter's chair ; under his auspices there sprang up in
Italy a new sect of preachers called ' Jacobites,' because they
imitated the life of the apostles. These men went forth
amongst cities, streets, and castles, preaching the word of the
gospel, eating but little, scantily clothed, and without gold,
silver, or any other property. In a short time these people
multiplied throughout the world on account of their volun-
tary poverty, dwelling in the chief cities by sevens and tens,
taking no heed for the future, and retaining nothing for their

170 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [AtD. 1198.

use on the morrow ; they also lived according to the rules of
the apostles, and whatever they had abundance of at their
tables from charitable gifts, this they immediately bestowed
on the poor ; they went about shod in the preaching of the
gospel, slept in their clothes, used hard beds, and put stones
under their heads for pillows.

Of the wonderful penitence of Hugh bishop of Chester.

In the same year Hugh de Nunant, bishop of Coventry
or Chester, fell very ill when on his way to Rome; and
when, by his illness gaining ground, he knew that his death
was approaching, he sent for the religious men of all Nor-
mandy, abbats and priors, as many as he could, and in the
hearing of all of them, and purely and with a contrite heart,
he in tears confessed aloud all the sins, faults, and offences,
which occurred to his recollection. So great was his peni-
tence and contrition, that all those who stood by and looked
at him were moved to tears ; and at length in tears and lamen-
tations he with clasped hands besought all the priests, by
God's virtue, to inflict a fitting repentance and atonement on
him, a penitence for the great crimes of which he had been
guilty. But the religious men who stood by his bed hearing
of such a wicked life in a bishop, and at the same time be-
holding his excessive contrition of heart, looked at one
another and were all silent, not knowing what advice to
give him, or what answer to make on a sudden. The bishop
on seeing this, said to them, "I know, I know, that now
you have heard of such great offences, you are doubting
amongst yourselves as to what you should inflict on me by
way of atonement ; but I beseech you, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that, by way of penance you adjudge me,
for the remission of my sins, to remain, according to the will
of God, in the tortures of purgatory till the day of judgment,
that, by the mercy of our Redeemer, whose compassion
always exceeds his judgment, I may then be saved." This
advice pleased them all, except always the divine clemency,
which desires all to be preserved, and not one to be lost.
Then the bishop, in the hearing of them all, acknowledged
with great grief that he had expelled the monks from Coven-
try, and, to add to all his faults, had introduced irreligious
priests in their stead ; to atone for which fault, he found no

A.D. 1198.] PENITENCE OF BISHOP HUGH. 171

other kind of correction, unless he died in the habit of those
whom, under the influence of the devil, he had, as long as
he was able, persecuted, reduced to beggary, and, in his
hatred, injured in every possible way. After this confession,
he besought the abbat of Bee, who was standing by him
amongst the rest, out of charity, and to the shame of the
devil, to grant him the habit of a monk, that he might have
as protectors in the life to come those whom he had perse-
cuted in this. After this was granted him, he gave all he
possessed in gold and silver, jewels, and precious vessels, to
religious houses and to the poor, and thus died more happily
than was expected amidst the hopes and tears of those who
stood round.

Of the restoration of the conventual church at Coventry, and the expul-
sion of the priests.

There was at this time staying at the court of Rome a
certain monk of the convent at Coventry named Thomas,
who had been with the rest of his brethren expelled, as has
been mentioned above, by the before-named bishop, and who
was endeavouring by the authority of the supreme pontiff to
place again in their former condition the monks who were
dispersed in all directions ; some of his brethren had died,
some had left the court weary and impoverished, he alone
persevering in the matter, although on account of his poverty
he was often obliged to beg his bread ; but, having heard the
wished-for news of the death of the bishop of Coventry, his
heart was elated in the Lord, who shows his goodness to
those who trust in him and persevere in well-doing. One day
when the newly created pope Innocent was sitting in council
with his cardinals, the aforesaid monk suddenly burst into
the midst of them, and held out to the pope a petition setting
forth his business ; the latter, after he had read it, replied to
the hasty monk, " Brother, has not this petition been often,
in my sight and hearing, refused by our predecessors Clement
and Celestine ; and do you think, if you could not over-
reach them, to do so with me as if I were foolish ?" and
added with anger, "Depart, brother, depart, for you cer-
tainly wait here to no purpose." But the monk hearing
these words, replied with bitter tears, saying, " Holy father,
my petition is just, and altogether honourable, and therefore

172 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1198.

I do not wait in vain : for I await your death, as I have the
deaths of your predecessors ; for he who succeeds you will
hear my petition with efFect.', But the pope hearing these
words, was inexpressibly astonished, and turning to his car-
dinals who sat near him, said, " Heard ye what this devil
said ? — * I await,' says he, ' your death, as I have that of
your predecessors.'" Then turning to the monk he said,
" Brother, by St. Peter, you shall not wait my death here,
for your petition is granted." And immediately before he
took any food, he sent commands to Hubert archbishop of
Canterbury, that, immediately on the receipt of his letters, he
should go in person to the church of Coventry, expel the
priests, and reinstate the monks. The said archbishop, there-
fore, supported by the high pontiff's authority, removed the
before-mentioned priests, and on the 18th of January re-
introduced the monks in their stead. As the prior of that
place had died when the monks were driven into exile, he
appointed as prior over them a Norman named Joibert, who,
on account of his eminent skill in secular affairs, had received
the government of the three priories, of Daventry, Wenlock,
and Coventry ; he immediately with the advice of the monks
set about the election of a bishop, and by common consent the
lot fell on Geoffrey de Muschamp. The prior of Bermondsey
dying about this time, too, Hubert archbishop of Canter-
bury, to satisfy the avarice of the aforesaid Joibert, added
this fourth priory to his other three.

Of the consecration of certain bishops.

On the fourth Sunday in Lent of the same year, Eustace
dean of Salisbury, was consecrated bishop of Ely, by Hubert
archbishop of Canterbury, in the chapel of St. Catherine at
Westminster. Afterwards, Geoffrey bishop of Coventry
elect, was consecrated by the same archbishop at Canterbury
on the 21st of June. In this year, too, on the 15th of May,
a shower of blood fell on those who were building the castle
at Andelys in Normandy, which was a warning perhaps that
the death of king Richard would occur shortly. And at this
time, too, Geoffrey archbishop of York, made peace with the
king and his brother in Normandy, for the king was dis-
pleased with him on account of the removal of his chancellor
at the time he was a prisoner of the emperor's.

A.D. 1198.] BATTLE IN WALES. 173

Of the removal of Hubert archbishop of Canterbury from the office of

justiciary.

At that time a difference arose between the archbishop of
Canterbury and the monks of the Holy Trinity at that place,
on account of the new church which the archbishop had
built at Lambeth ; for the monks were afraid* that he
would transfer the cathedral see to the latter place ; they
therefore set out to Rome to complain to pope Innocent, that
the archbishop, contrary to the dignity of his station, was
acting as justiciary of England, and judge in matters of life
and death, and that he paid attention to secular affairs more
than was proper, neglecting the affairs of the church ; they
also charged him with the fact, that it was by his orders that
the church of St. Mary of the Arches, \ in London, was
profaned, when William with the Beard was dragged forth
from it, tied to horses' tails, dragged through the streets of
the city, and finally hung on the gallows ; and in this way
the monks, spending a great deal of money about it, greatly
dimmed the archbishop's fame. The pope, on hearing these
things, commanded the king of England, immediately on
receipt of his letters, under penalty of an interdict, to dismiss
the aforesaid archbishop from the office of justiciary, as it
was especially forbidden bishops to meddle with secular
business. King Richard, therefore, dismissed the archbishop,
and appointed Geoffrey Fitz-Peter in his place.

Of a battle between the English and Welsh, in which many were slain.

In the same year, whilst king Richard was staying beyond
sea, Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, high justiciary of England, assem-
bled a large army and marched into Wales to the assistance
of William de Brause, and his followers, who were besieged
in the castle of Matilda, by Wenunwen king of Wales ; and
on his arrival there a battle took place.J But the Welsh

* "For the monks feared, and indeed it not only was publicly reported,
but also the archbishop had used threats to the same effect, that he would
transfer thither the episcopal see, arid what was still worse, degrade the
monks, and put secular canons in their places. If this should take effect,
it would redound to the injury of many, together with the ingratitude of
the electors, and of the numerous saints who had been monks in that
church."— M. Paris.

+ Bow Church.

J Matthew Paris adds here, " Almost all the Welshmen in Wales were

174 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1198.

not being able to resist the English, were put to flight, and
throwing away their arms in order to fly better, gave courage
to the English ; more than three thousand seven hundred
of their soldiers were said to have been slain, besides those
who were taken prisoners, and those mortally wounded ; but
of the English only one man was killed, and he was pierced
by an arrow which was carelessly discharged by one of his
fellow soldiers.

How king Richard, in a battle with the French king, took twenty knights.
About the same time, Philip king of the French, and the
English king Richard, met in battle between Jumieges and
Vernon ; in this conflict the French king and his followers
took to flight, and retreated to Yernon for safety, but before
they could get into the castle, king Richard, who was pur-
suing them at the sword's point, made prisoners of twenty
knights, and more than sixty soldiers. On the tenth of
September in this year, Richard bishop of London paid
the debt of nature.

Of a glorious victory gained by king Richard*

About that time, king Richard assembled all his forces,
and, supported by the valour of his English troops, took by
assault three of the French king's castles, namely, Sirefontan,
Burs, and the fortress of Curcel. The French king, who
believed that the castle of Curcel was not yet taken, came
from Nantes to render assistance to that place, with four

assembled together, sworn to oppose the unjust invasion of the English as
long as they had breath in their bodies. When they were drawn out in
battle array against the English army, Peter the justiciary, a brave and
prudent knight, came up with his people in battle array against them, and
exhorted his men to fight bravely and manfully. One of them, named
Walter de Hame, a native of Trumpington, replied, ( God forbid, my lord,
that any nobleman should be prodigal of his own life : I am but a poor man,
and my life is of no value, nor will the enemy have much cause to triumph
in my death/ With these words, he did not wait for a reply, but furiously
spurred against one of the foremost of the enemy, leaving him on the ground
grievously wounded, charged a second, whom he served in the same
manner, and then assailed a third, whom he seized by the helmet, and
nearly shook the breath out of his body. Then looking back upon his own
army, he exclaimed, ' Hurra ! king's men, come on, and charge them, the
victory is oursl' Before he had spoken these words, the Welsh army was
broken; the right wing of the English came up, and the enemy were
routed right and left."

a.d. 1198.] king Richard's conquests. 17o

hundred knights and a number of attendants, and all his
soldiers ; king Richard learning this by means of his scouts,
came in an opposite direction to meet them, and fought a
pitched battle with them, between Cured and Gisors. In
this conflict the French king, unable to sustain the shock of
the battle, fled with his attendants to the castle of Gisors.
As the fugitives were retreating over the bridge of that
town, it broke down on account of the multitude who im-
petuously rushed on it, and the king himself with his horse
and armour fell into the river Ethe, with innumerable others
of the French, and, as he lay there, was rolled over and over
in the mud, and with difficulty saved from death. In the
meantime, a picked body of the French troops, in order to
assist the flight of their sovereign, and to save him from
falling into the hands of the pursuing king, faced about
against king Richard, and made a fierce attack on him,
thus exposing themselves to death for the preservation of
their sovereign. Then the battle raged on both sides, swords
thundered on helmeted heads, and drew fire by quickly re-
peated blows, and the stiff lances knocked down enemies in
all directions ; but I have no time for the relation ; — their
rage did not cease till the king of the English had captured
the whole of the resisting band. In this battle king Richard
unhorsed and made prisoners of three chosen knights,
Matthew de Montmorenci, Alan de Rusci, and Fulk de
Gilernalles ; and with them were taken the following men of
rank in the French kingdom, Gallis de Porta, Gerard de
Chori, Philip de Nanteuil, Peter d'Eschans, Robert de St.
Denys, Theobald de Wallengard, Cedunal de Trie, Roger de
Meetlent, Aim Triers, Reginald d'Asci, Baldwin de Leisni,
Thomas d'Asgent, Ferrius de Paris, Peter de Latonia, Guy
de Nevers, Frumentin of Champagne, Theodoric d'Anceis,
Anfric de Baalim, Eborard de Montigny, Odo de Muntciun,
Funcard de Roche, Walter Rufus, Arnulph de Leini,
William de Banceto, Joken de Bray, Peter de Pinci, Denbert
d'Augi, Puncard du Chatel, William de Merllon, John de
Granges, Theobald de Breun, Roger de Beaumont, Gilbert
de Br aye, Peter de Maidul, John de Cerni, Alard de Loviers,
Ralph de Valencel, Ferri de Brunaye, Thomas de Castele,
William de Rochemont, Theobald de Misci; and besides
these already mentioned the said king took a hundred

176 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1198.

knights and two hundred horses, covered with armour ; of
soldiers, horse and foot, and arbalesters, he took an
immense number. After this, the victorious Richard sent
letters to all his friends in England, such as the archbishops,
bishops, abbats, earls, and barons, earnestly and devoutly-
begging of them to join him in glorifying God for having
granted him such a triumph over his enemies.

Of a treaty made between the kings of France and England.

Philip the French king, therefore, seeing that the power
of the king of England daily increased whilst ( his own
gradually grew deficient, yielded to necessity, and secretly
sent messengers to the supreme pontiff, setting forth by his
pleaders that he was willingly to come to an arrangement
with the king of England, or by a truce to put off fighting
for a time, in order that, after the truce was confirmed by
the authority of the pope himself, the monarchs of both
kingdoms might, by his co-operation, be able to fulfil the
vows of their pilgrimage, and to release the land of promise
from the power of the enemies of Christ ; and that this
might be made secure and binding, the king asked the pope
to send some cardinal with plenary powers to the western
parts, who could, if necessary, pronounce sentence of inter-
dict against whichever of them should be found averse to
peace and amity. With these and many other similar re-
quests, pope Innocent, who was most anxious to forward the
cause of the crusade, was induced to comply, more by money
than the king's entreaties, and he accordingly sent Peter
of Capua, one of his cardinals, to make peace between the
two kings. He, on his arrival at the French king's do-
minions, by advice of that monarch, took with him some
bishops of both kingdoms, and, on coming to the king of
England, he explained to him what great calamities were
happening and would continue to happen to the kingdoms of
the two monarchs unless peace was soon made between
them. King Richard, however, answered with indignation,
saying that he was not bound by law to do anything at the
pope's command, especially as he had often asked him to
compel the French king by the church's censure to restore to
him the territories and castles which the said king, in dis-
regard of his oath, had unjustly seized on when he himself

a.d. 1199.] king Richard's death. 177

was, in the land of promise, expelling the enemies of the
cross, and endeavouring to restore the Holy Land to a proper
state. Wherefore, he had been compelled, by the fault of
the pope himself, to spend a very large sum of money in
regaining his own inheritance ; by which the aforesaid king
had not only committed perjury, but had also incurred the
sentence of excommunication ; and moreover, he did not
know whether the French king would agree to the truce.
The cardinal then called the English king aside, and told
him under a pledge of secresy, that it was at the instance
of that very monarch that he had been sent by the pope to
make peace between them ; and he advised the king also this
once to acquiesce in the pope's wish, and to rest assured that
the pope would listen to him concerning the king of the
French, as well as concerning any other matters. On this
king Richard, who beyond measure desired the welfare of
his nephew Otho, the lately crowned king of Germany, in
order to obtain from the pope easier approach to the imperial
consecration, was overcome by the entreaties of all, and
acquiesced in the arrangements. The two kings then met
together, and swore to keep a truce for five years, with the
condition that the subjects and merchants of both kings
should be allowed to pass and repass at will, for the purpose
of buying or selling, through the territories and markets of
either kingdom. After this was done, the king of England
sent the abbat of Chertsey and Raymond, a monk of St.
Alban's, who had been sent into Normandy to the king, about
the affairs of his church to Rome, to carry the above-men-
tioned treaty into effect ; and, to effect all this, the king
levied a tax of five shillings on every ploughed hide of land
throughout all England by way of aiding him.

How Hubert archbishop of Canterbury destroyed the church at Lambeth.
a.d. 1199. Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, at his own
expense, and to the disgrace of himself and many others, at
the request of the monks of Canterbury and by the order of
the supreme pontiff, destroyed the church of Lambeth, which
his predecessor Baldwin had founded and almost finished
himself.

Of king Richard'' s death.

In the same year, after the truce had been arranged

VOL. II. N

178 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1199.

between Philip and Richard, the kings of France and
England, the latter king turned his arms against some of the
rebel barons of Poictou, and carrying fire and sword into their
cities and towns, cut down their vineyards and orchards, and
slew some of his enemies without pity. At length he arrived
in the duchy of Aquitaine, and laid siege to the castle of
Chalus, in the Limosin where, on the 26th of March, he
was wounded by one Peter Basilii, with a poisoned weapon,
as was said, but of this wound he thought nothing. At
length in the twelve days which he survived, he fiercely
attacked and took the castle, and committing the knights and
their followers to close imprisonment, put his own followers in
the castle, at the same time strengthening the fortifications.
But the wound which he had received at this place, having
been all this time unattended to, began to swell, and a sort of
blackness overspreading the place of the wound, mixed with
the swelling, and caused him intolerable pain. At length
when he perceived that his danger was imminent, the king
prepared for his end by contrition of heart, by pure verbal
confession and by the communion of the body and blood of
our Lord ; he forgave the author of his death, namely Peter,
who had wounded him, and ordered him to be released from
his chains and to depart. He ordered his body to be buried
at Font-Evrault near the feet of his father, whose destroyer
he confessed himself to be, and bequeathed his invincible
heart to the church of Rouen ; his entrails he ordered to be
buried in the church at the above-named castle, thus giving
them as a present to the inhabitants of Poictou. To some of
his intimate followers he, under a promise of secresy, revealed
his reasons for making such a distribution of his body ; for
the reason above-assigned he gave his body to his father ; he
sent his heart as a present to the inhabitants of Rouen on
account of the incomparable fidelity which he had always
experienced in them ; but to the inhabitants of Pioctou, for
their known treachery, he left his entrails, not considering
them worthy of any other part of him. After he had spoken
thus the swelling suddenly reached the parts about his heart,
and on Tuesday the 6th of April this warlike man gave
up his spirit at the above-mentioned castle, after reigning
nine years and a half. He was buried, according to his
orders whilst living, at Font-Evrault, and with him, in the

a.d. 1199.] Richard's epitaph. 179

opinion of many, were buried alike the pride and honour of
the chivalry of the West ; of his death and burial some one
has published the following epitaph.

His entrails given to Poictou — Lie buried near to Fort Chalus ;
His body lies entombed below — A marble slab at Font-Evraut ;
And Neustria thou hast thy part — The unconquerable hero's heart.
And thus through cities three are spread — The ashes of the mighty dead,
But this a funeral cannot be — Instead of one this king has three.

Here begins about king John, and other things that happened at that time*

After the victorious king Richard had, as has been
mentioned, gone the way of all flesh, John earl of Mortaigne,
his brother, honourably retained all those who had served his
brother as well as the mercenary knights, promising them
large presents ; and forthwith he sent Hubert archbishop of
Canterbury, and William Marshal into England, to make his
peace there, and to take charge of the kingdom, together
with Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, who was then justiciary, and other
nobles of the kingdom. On their arrival there they made
the people swear fealty to earl John, and meeting with
Geoffrey Fitz-Peter they called together all the nobles of
whom they had the most doubts ; to them they promised that
earl John would restore their rights to them all ; on which
condition then the earls and barons swore fealty to the said
earl, in opposition to all others. But to William king of
Scots, they sent word by Eustace de Yesci, that earl John,
on his return, would satisfy him for all his rights in England,
if in the meantime he would keep faith and peace with the
earl ; and thus all strife and contention in England was set
at rest.

How some of the nobles united themselves to earl John, and others to

Arthur.

Whilst these events were passing in England, earl John
went to Chinon, where the treasure of the deceased king was
deposited, which John de Turnham, who had charge of it,
gave up to him with the castles of Saumur and Chinon, and
other fortresses, which had been entrusted to his care ; but
Thomas de Furneis, nephew of the said Robert, delivered the
city and castle of Anjou, to Arthur count of Brittany, and
joined the said Arthur. The chiefs of Anjou, Maine, and
Tours also adhered to the party of Arthur as their liege lord,

n 2

180 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1199.

saying that it was the opinion and the custom of those
countries that Arthur, who was the son of the elder brother,
should succeed his uncle in the patrimony and inheritance,
which Geoffrey, father of this same Arthur would have had,
if he had survived king Richard. Moreover Constance,
Arthur's mother, went to Tours, to the French king, and
delivered the said Arthur to him; that king at once sent
him to Paris under charge of a guard, and received into his
care all the cities and castles which belonged to Arthur. But
earl John, and his mother queen Eleanor, came attended by
a large army to Maine, took the city and castle, destroyed
the stone houses in it, because the inhabitants had taken the
side of Arthur, and, making prisoners of the citizens, incar-
cerated them.

How earl John assumed the duchy of Normandy,

After these events earl John spent Easter day at Bamfort
in Anjou, and on the day after sent queen Eleanor with
Marcadeus, to the city of Anjou, which they attacked and
destroyed, making prisoners of the citizens. Earl John, in
the meantime, came to Rouen, and on the octaves of Easter
day,* was girt with the sword of the duchy of Normandy in
the mother church, by Walter archbishop of Rouen, and the
same archbishop before the great altar placed on his head the
golden circle with rosettes of gold artificially worked in a
circle on the top of it ; the duke then in the presence of the
clergy and people, swore, on the relics of the saints and by
the holy gospels, that he would in good faith and without
evil practices defend the holy church, and its dignity, and
honour the ordained priests of it ; he moreover swore to do
away with bad laws, if there were any, and to make others
in lieu of them. On the 23rd of May in this year, William, of
Norman race, and a canon of St. Paul's church at London,
was consecrated bishop of London in the chapel of St.
Catherine, at Westminster by Hubert archbishop of Canter-
bury.

Of king John's coronation.

About this time John duke of Normandy came over into
England, and landed at Shoreham on the 25th of May ; on

* 25th of April.

A.D. 1199.] CORONATION OF KING JOHN. 181

the day after, which was the eve of our Lord's ascension, he
went to London to be crowned there. On his arrival there-
fore, the archbishops, bishops, earls, barons, and all others,
whose duty it was to be present at his coronation, assembled
together in the church of the chief of the apostles at
Westminster, on the 27 th of May, and there Hubert arch-
bishop of Canterbury placed the crown on his head,* and
anointed him king; Philip bishop of Durham, made an
appeal to prevent this coronation taking place in the absence
of Geoffrey archbishop of York, but did not obtain his wish.
At this coronation king John bound himself by a triple oath,
namely, to love the holy church and its ordained priests, and
to preserve it harmless from the attacks of evil designers,
and to do away with bad laws, substituting good ones in their
stead, and to see justice rightly administered throughout
England. He was afterwards adjured by the same arch-
bishop on behalf of God, and strictly forbidden to presume to
accept this honour, unless he purposed in his mind, to fulfil in
deed, what he had sworn to; in reply to this the king
promised that, by God's assistance, he would in all good

* Matthew Paris adds as follows : — " The archbishop, standing in the
midst, addressed them thus, * Hear, all of you, and be it known that no one
has an antecedent right to succeed another in the kingdom, unless he shall
have been unanimously elected, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, on
account of the superior merits of his character, after the example of Saul
the first anointed king, whom the Lord set over his people, not as the son
of a king, nor as born of royal ancestry. In the same manner, after
Saul came David, son of Jesse. Saul was chosen because he was a brave
man, and suited for the royal dignity: David, because he was holy and
humble. Thus those who excelled in vigour are elevated to kingly dignity.
But, if any relations of a deceased king excel others in merit, all should the
more readily and zealously consent to his election. We have said this to
maintain the cause of earl John, who is here present, brother of our illus-
trious king Richard, lately deceased without heirs of his body, and as the
said earl John is prudent, active, and indubitably noble, we have, under
God's Holy Spirit, unanimously elected him for his merits and his royal
blood.' Now the archbishop was a man of bold character and a support to
the kingdom by his steadiness and incomparable wisdom, no one, therefore,
dared to dispute what he said, as knowing that he had good cause for what
he did. Earl John and all who were present acquiesced, and they unani-
mously elected the earl, crying out, ' God save the king ! ' Archbishop
Hubert was afterwards asked why he acted in this manner, to which he
replied that he knew John would one day or other bring the kingdom into
great confusion, wherefore he determined that he should owe his elevation
to election and not to hereditary right."

182 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1199.

faith keep the oath which he had made. On the following
day, after he had received the homage and fealty of his sub
jects, he went to St. Alban's, the proto-martyr of England, to
pray ; and so, making but a very short stay in England, he
with the advice of the nobles duly settled everything that
required his attention.

How king John crossed over into Normandy and reconciled many of the

nobles to himself.

On the day of St. John the Baptist's nativity the king
crossed sea to Normandy, and on his arrival at Rouen a
number of soldiers, both horse and foot, flocked together to
him, and these he gladly retained in his service. Afterwards
he had an interview with the king of the French, when a
truce was agreed on till the day after the assumption of the
blessed Mary, in order that they might in the meantime
arrange terms of peace. In the meantime the count of
Flanders and many other nobles of the French kingdom
came to king John at Rouen, and made a treaty of alliance
with him, as they had done with king Richard, against the
king of the French ; and after mutually giving security, each
returned to his own territories.

How the kings met at a conference, but went away at variance with one

another.

In this same year, on the day after the assumption of the
blessed Mary, the French king conferred the knight's belt on
Arthur count of Brittany ; and the said Arthur at once did
homage to the French king for Anjou, Poictou, Tours,
Maine, Brittany, and Normandy ; and the king promised
Arthur his assistance in gaining possession of all these places.
On the day after the two kings held a conference between
the castle of Butavant and Gaillon, at which they, apart
from the nobles of both kingdoms, conversed face to face for
an hour, no one except themselves being within hearing.
At this interview the French king required for his own use
the whole of the Vexin, that is, the country contained be-
tween the forest of Lyons and the Seine on one side, and the
rivers Andelys and Ethe on the other side; and said that
Geoffrey Plantagenet count of Anjou, John's grandfather, had
given it to Louis le Gros for the assistance afforded him by

A. D. 1199.] OTITO EMPEROR OF ROME. 183

that monarch in gaining possession of Normandy in oppo-
sition to king Stephen. He moreover demanded for Arthur
the countries of Poictou, Anjou, Maine, Tours, and Nor-
mandy, and many other things, which John would not and
ought not to grant ; and so, breaking off the interview,
they departed mutually at variance. The king of the French
being asked by his nobles why he was so inimically disposed
towards king John, who had never done him an injury,
replied that the latter had seized on Normandy and the
above-named other countries without his permission, whereas
he ought, at king Richard's death, in the first place to have
come to him, and done homage to him for his right. The
king of the French thus departed ; but William de Rupibus, a
nobleman, cunningly took Arthur away from the care of the
French king, and made peace between him and the king of
England, at the same time giving up to the latter the city of
Mans, which the French king had entrusted together
with Arthur to the care of the aforesaid William ; but on the
same day it was told Arthur that the king of the English
would take him and consign him to perpetual imprisonment ;
on which he secretly made his escape and returned to the
king of the French again.

How king Otho went to Rome, and obtained the title of emperor there •

At that time the election of Philip duke of Suabia, and
many others, was annulled, and Otho king of Germany was
elected and admitted emperor of Rome by pope Innocent
and all the Roman people. After this election was confirmed
by the pope, Philip duke of Suabia, and all his supporters,
were threatened with excommunication, unless they desisted
from their persecution of Otho; and in the capital, and
throughout the whole city of Rome, the cry was raised of
' Life and health to the emperor Otho.' Being thus con-
firmed in his title by all, he recollected that it was by king
Richard's means that he had been advanced to such a great
dignity, he therefore sent word to king John to put off
coming to terms of friendship with the French king, because
he the emperor would, God willing, in a short time provide
him with such assistance as became the imperial dignity to
give.

184 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1199.

The French kingdom is laid under interdict.

About this time, Peter of Capua, a cardinal and legate of
the apostolic see, laid the kingdom of France under an inter-
dict, on account of the imprisonment of his brother Peter de
Douay, bishop-elect of Cambray; but the king of the
French released the said bishop-elect before the sentence was
withdrawn. In the same year, too, the same legate came to
the king of the English and demanded, under pain of inter-
dict, the release of the bishop of Beauvais, who had now been
most cruelly detained in prison for two years, and the
king's free permission for that prelate to depart ; but since
the said bishop had, in disregard of the dignity of his order,
been taken in arms like a soldier or routier, he was not
allowed to depart before he had satisfied the rapacity of the
king by paying six thousand marks of silver sterling weight
into his treasury ; after which the said bishop swore that he
would never again during his life carry arms against the
Christians.

Of the decision of the old cause between the churches of Tours and Dol.

In this year a very old cause between the churches of
Tours and Dol, was decided at Rome by a definitive de-
cree of pope Innocent ; the archbishop of Tours requiring
submission from the bishop of Dol, and the bishop of Dol
opposing it. The church of Dol was the head of Lesser
Brittany, and the high priests of that church, as well as all
the other prelates of Lesser Brittany, had in the time of
St. Martin, and before and long since that time, been suffra-
gans of the church of Tours, but they afterwards revolted
from their allegiance to that church; the reason of which
was this. When the English came into the Greater Britain
to subdue it, and Uterpendragon, king of the Britons, being
taken seriously ill, was confined to his bed at Yerulamium, so
that he was able neither to help himself nor to defend his
kingdom against the rage of the barbarians of the country,
the superstition of the English (Saxons) is said to have prevailed
to such an extent, that the whole island almost was laid
waste from sea .to sea, and the holy churches levelled to the
ground. On this, the pontiffs and prelates of the churches,
seeing the desolation of the country and the subversion of the

A.D. 1200.] CHURCHES OF TOURS AND DOL. 185

holy church, retreated to places of greater safety, agreeing
unanimously, that it was wiser to avoid the rage of the bar-
barians for a time, than to dwell fruitlessly amongst those
who rebelled against the Christian faith. Amongst these,
St. Sampson, archbishop of York, a man of unparalleled
sanctity, fled to his fellow countrymen in Lesser Brittany (for
they were of the same extraction and country), and carried
with him the pail, which he had received from the Roman
pontiff ; and on his arrival in that country, he was received
with honour by his fellow citizens, and by the common con-
sent of all, was elected to the bishopric of the church of Dol,
which had been lately deprived of its pastor, and the king's
permission having been obtained, he was enthroned in that
office, although much against his will ; and in that church he,
as long as he lived, and after him, many of his successors
always wore that pall, which he had brought from the
monastery of York. But afterwards, the kings of that
province, when they had had an archbishop in their own
kingdom, did not allow their bishops, although they had
always been formerly suffragans of the church of Tours, to
pay due obedience to the before-mentioned archbishop of
Tours ; and they determined that the bishops of Lesser Brit-
tany should not again have any other metropolitan than the
archbishop of Dol. After the lapse, however, of three hun-
dred years or more from that time, pope Nicholas, at the
instance of the archbishop of Tours, endeavoured to revoke
this error, and wrote a letter to Salamon king of the Britons,
which is contained in the decretals of Gratian, Caus. 3,
Quest. 6, as follows : —

Letter of pope Nicholas on the same matter.

" This is the decree of your said father, and this is the
law of the church your mother, to wit, that you send all the
bishops of your kingdom to the archbishop of Tours, and ask
his judgment ; for he is the metropolitan, and all the bishops
of your kingdom are his suffragans, as the writings of my
predecessors plainly show ; and they strongly rebuked your
predecessors for having withdrawn themselves from the juris-
diction of that archbishop, although our own letters also to
you on this matter seem not to be deficient." And in another
part, " But whereas there is a great contention amongst the

186 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- 120°-

Britons, as to who is the metropolitan bishop, and no man's
recollection holds that you ever had any metropolitan church
in your own district ; however, if it pleases you, you will be
able easily to perceive the truth of my words, since Almighty
God has made peace between you and our beloved son, the
renowned king Charles ; but if you intend to proceed con-
tentiously, endeavour to bring the matter before our apostolic
see, that, by our judgment, it may be more clearly known
which was formerly the archiepiscopal church amongst you,
and that, all doubt being thus dispelled, your bishops may
know without hesitation what course they ought to pursue."
However, notwithstanding that the above-mentioned admoni-
tion was given to the said king, he did not desist from his pur-
pose, but ever afterwards both he and his successors persisted
in their disobedience, and a continual strife and disagreement
existed between the bishops of Tours and Dol, until in the
present year, as has been stated above, it was definitively
decided by the pope, that, not only the bishop of Dol, but
also all the other bishops of Brittany, should be subject to the
archbishop of Rouen, and acquiesce in his canonical injunc-
tions for ever. The said pope in pronouncing definitive
judgment in this matter, as one who is great in knowledge,
and bold, and at the same time skilled in law, rose, and thus
spoke : — " Let Dol grieve, and Tours rejoice."

Hew qneen Eleanor was sent for the lady Blanche, to he married to Louis,

A.D. 1200. After the feast of St. Hilary, the French and
English kings, Philip and John, held a conference at a place
between the castles of Gaillon and Butavant, at which it was
agreed between the said kings with the advice of the chief
nobles of each kingdom, that Louis, the son and heir of the
French king, should espouse the daughter of Alphonso king
of Castile, who was also niece of king John, and that the
English king should, when this marriage was contracted,
give to Louis as a marriage portion with his niece Blanche,
the city of Evreux, with the whole of that county, and
thirty thousand marks of silver besides. Moreover, the
French king asked the English monarch to give him security
that he would afford no assistance, either in soldiers or in
money, to his nephew Otho, in obtaining the Roman empire.
It has been said that Philip duke of Suabia, by the French

A.D. 1200.] MARRIAGE OF KING JOHN. 187

king's connivance and assistance, was grievously harassing
Otho ; indeed he did not cease his persecution, notwithstand-
ing the sentence of excommunication with which he had
been bound by the pope. The treaty above-mentioned
having been finally confirmed between the kings, they ap-
pointed the ensuing feast of St. John the Baptist to carry
into effect, without fail, the terms of the above-mentioned
agreement; and after the conference was broken up, king
John, who hoped by this marriage to enjoy a lengthened
peace, sent his mother queen Eleanor to fetch the said lady
Blanche, that the latter might return with her in safe con-
duct at the time pre-agreed on. The king of the English in
the mean time sailed to England, and levied a tax of three
shillings on each hide of land throughout all England, and,
after settling some other business, he again crossed sea into
Normandy.

Of the marriage of Louis with the daughter of Alphonso king of Castile.

Soon after these events, queen Eleanor returned with the
aforesaid lady who was to be married to Louis, and presented
her to the king of the English. Afterwards, on the 21st of
June, the kings held a conference at a place between Gule-
tune and Butavant, at which the king of the French gave up
to the English king the city of Evreux, together with the
whole county, and all the lands in Normandy, and the
other dominions of the English king, which he had taken
possession of during the war ; king John immediately did
homage to the French king for them, and then gave them all
up to Louis as a marriage portion with his niece, and re-
ceived the homage of Louis for the same. On the day
following the lady Blanche was married to Louis at Portmort
in Normandy, by the archbishop of Bourdeaux ; for the king-
dom of France was at that time under an interdict on
account of queen Botilda,* whom the French king had di-
vorced. Immediately after his marriage, Louis brought his
wife to Paris, to the great joy and exultation of the clergy
and people of both kingdoms.

How king John married queen Isabel.

In the same year a divorce having been effected between
* Before called " Ingelburg," daughter of the king of Denmark.

188 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1200.

the king of the English and his wife Hawisa, daughter of
the earl of Gloucester, because they were related in the
third degree of affinity, the said king, by the advice of the
king of the French, espoused Isabel, daughter of the count of
Angouleme, formerly wife of Hugh, surnamed "le Brun,"
earl of March: this marriage was afterwards very injurious
to the king as well as the kingdom of England. Not long
after this the kings held a conference at Yernon, and there
Arthur did homage to the king of England for Brittany and
his other possessions; but as he feared treachery on the part
of king John, he still remained under the care of the French
king.

Command of the Lord, which came from heaven to Jerusalem, concerning
the observance of the sabbath.

About that time a letter came from heaven to Jerusalem
and was hung up over the altar of St. Simeon, in Golgotha,
where Christ was crucified for the redemption of the world ;
this letter hung for three days and nights, and those who
beheld it fell to the earth, asking mercy of God, and beseech-
ing him to show them his will ; but on the third day, after
the third hour of the day, the patriarch, and the archbishop
Zachariah, raised themselves from their prayers, and, opening
the fillet over the high-altar, took the sacred letter of God,
and after inspecting it, found this inscription on it : — " I am
the Lord, who have ordered you to keep holy the day of the
sabbath, on which I rested from my labours, that all mortals
might on that day rest for ever ; and ye have not kept it, nor
have ye repented of your sins. As I spake by my gospel, —
' The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my word
shall not pass away.' I caused repentance of life to be
preached to you, and ye did not believe ; I sent upon you
pagans, and gentiles, who shed your blood upon the earth,
and still ye did not believe ; and, because ye did not keep
holy the Lord's day, for a few days ye endured famine ; but
I soon gave you plenty, and ye afterwards did worse : there-
fore it is my will that, from the ninth hour of the sabbath
till sunrise on Monday, no one shall do any work, except
that which is good, and whoever shall do so, shall atone for
it ; and if ye obey not this my command, verily I say unto
you, and I swear by my seat and my throne, and by the
cherubims which guard my holy seat, that I will not send

A.D. 1200.] CONSECRATION OF THE SABBATH. 189

you any orders by another letter, but I will open the heavens
and, instead of rain, I will shower on you stones, and wood,
and hot water, by night, such that no man can avoid, since
I will destroy all evil-doers. This I say unto you, ye shall
die the death, on account of the holy day of the Lord and the
other festivals of my saints which ye have not observed. I
will send on you beasts with the heads of lions, the hair of
women, and the tails of camels, and they shall be so hungry,
that they will devour your flesh, and ye shall desire to fly to
the sepulchres of the dead to hide yourselves for fear of these
beasts ; and I will take away the light of the sun, and send
darkness on you, so that not seeing, ye shall slay one another;
and I will turn my face from you, and will show you no
mercy, for I will burn your bodies, and the hearts of those,
who do not keep the Lord's day holy. Hear then my voice,
lest ye perish on the earth on account of the sacred day of
the Lord ; depart from evil and repent of your sins, which if
ye do not, ye will perish like Sodom and Gomorrah. Know
now, that ye are safe through the prayers of my most holy
mother Mary, and of my holy angels who pray daily for you.
I gave you corn and wine in abundance, and then ye obeyed
me not, for daily do widows and orphans cry unto you, to
whom ye show no compassion ; pagans have pity, but ye
have none. Trees which bring forth fruit will I cause to
rot, for your sins: and rivers and fountains shall not give
you water. On the mount of Sinai I gave you a law, which
ye have not observed ; after that, I myself gave you a law,
which ye kept not. Wicked men that ye are, ye have not
kept holy the Sunday of my resurrection ; ye take away the
property of others and treat the matter with no considera-
tion : for this will I send on you worse beasts, who will
devour the breasts of your women. Them will I curse who
act unjustly towards their brethren ; them will I curse who
evilly judge the poor and the orphan: but ye have deserted
me, and are following the prince of this life. Hear my voice,
and ye will receive mercy ; but ye cease not from your evil
deeds, nor from the works of the devil, inasmuch as ye
commit perjury and adultery, and so nations will surround
you and devour you like wild beasts."

190 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D 1200.

Of the preaching of Eustace abbat of Flay e, on the said mandate.

But when the patriarch and all the clergy of the Holy
Land had carefully examined into the tenor of this letter,
and beheld the words of it with mixed admiration and fear,
it was determined by the common opinion of all, that it
should be transmitted for the consideration of the Roman
pontiff, that all might be satisfied with whatever he deter-
mined ought to be done. The letter having at length been
brought under the notice of our lord the pope, he imme-
diately ordained priests, who were sent out into every
quarter of the world to preach the purport of the letter, the
Lord co-operating with them, and confirming their discourse
by miracles resulting therefrom. Amongst these the abbat
of Flaye, Eustace by name, a religious and learned man, set
out for England, and there shone forth in performing many
miracles ; he landed near the city of Dover, and commenced
the duty of his preaching at a town called Wi. In the neigh-
bourhood of that place he bestowed his blessing on a certain
spring, which by his merits was so endowed with the Lord's
favour, that, from the taste of it alone, the blind recovered
sight, the lame their power of walking, the dumb their
speech, and the deaf their hearing ; and whatever sick person
drank of it in faith, at once enjoyed renewed health. A
certain woman who was attacked by devils, and swollen up
as it were by dropsy, came to him there, seeking to be
restored to health by him ; he said to her, * Have confidence,
my daughter, go to the spring at Wi, which the Lord hath
blessed, drink of it, and there you will recover health." The
woman departed, and, according to the advice of the man of
God, drank, and she immediately broke out into a fit of
vomiting ; and, in the sight of all who were at the fountain
for the recovery of their health, there came from her two
large black toads, which, in order to show that they were
devils, were immediately transformed to great black dogs, and
after a short time took the forms of asses. The woman stood
astonished, but shortly ran after them in a rage, wishing to
catch them ; but a man who had been appointed to take
charge of the spring, sprinkled some of the water between
the woman and the monsters, on which they flew up into the
air and vanished, leaving behind them traces of their foulness.

A.D. 1200.] MIRACLE ON A SABBATH-BREAKER. 191

How the aforesaid abbat caused a fountain of sweet water to spring forth.

This same man of God came to the town of Rumesnel to
preach, at which place there was a deficiency of fresh water,
and at the request of the people of the place, he, with his
staff, struck a stone in the church there, on which, water in
abundance flowed forth, and many who drank of it were
cured of various sicknesses. Afterwards going about from
place to place, from province to province, from city to city,
he, by his preaching, induced many to relax in usurious
habits, admonished them to assume the Lord's cross, and
turned the hearts of many to works of piety ; he also forbade
markets and traffic on Sundays, so that all the business which
used to be transacted throughout England on Sundays was
now arranged on one of the days of the following week, and
thus the people of the faith employed their leisure on
Sundays in their duties to God, and refrained altogether from
toil on that day ; as time, however, went on many returned
to their old customs, like dogs to their vomit. He forbade the
rectors of the churches and the priests, with the persons
subject to them, to keep a light constantly burning before
the eucharist, in order that He who enlightens every man
that comes into the world, might give the eternal for the
temporal light. To all the rich and to the upper ranks,
especially to merchants and citizens, he gave the injunction
always to have at their table the dish of Christ for the poor,
that by taking from their accustomed abundance, they might
alleviate the necessities of the indigent. He also commanded
the Saturday after three o'clock to be kept holy from all
servile work the same as Sunday, and also the whole of
Sunday and the night following, which forms one natural
day, and represents figuratively the repose of our everlasting
rest.

Of a dreadful miracle wrought on a certain woman.

About this same time a certain woman of the county of
Norfolk, despite of the warnings of this man of God, went
one day to wash clothes after three o'clock of Saturday ; and,
whilst she was busily at work, a man of venerable appear-
ance, unknown to her, approached her, and reproachingly
inquired the reason of her rashness in thus daring, after the
prohibition of the man of God, to wash clothes after three

192 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- 1200.

o'clock, and thus by unlawful work to profane the holy
Sabbath day; he moreover added, that unless she at once
desisted from her work, she would, without doubt, incur the
anger of God and the vengeance of Heaven. But she, in
answer to her rebuker, pleaded urgent poverty, and said that
she had till then dragged on a wretched life by toil of that
kind, and if she should desist from her accustomed labour,
she doubted her ability to procure the means of subsistence.
After a while the man vanished suddenly from her presence,
and she renewed her labour of washing the clothes and dry-
ing them in the sun with more energy than before. But for
all this the vengeance of God was not wanting ; for, on the
spot, a kind of small pig of a black colour suddenly adhered
to the woman's left breast and could not by any effort be
torn away, but, by continual sucking, drew blood, and in a
short time almost consumed all the bodily strength of the
wretched woman ; at length being reduced to the greatest
necessity, she was compelled for a long time to beg her bread
from door to door, until, in the sight of many who wondered
at the vengeance of God, she terminated her wretched life by
a miserable death.

Of another miracle which was wrought on the cutting of a loaf of bread.

About this same time, a certain labourer in the county of
Northumberland ordered his wife to bake some bread on the
Saturday for eating on the morrow ; the woman obeyed the
commands of her husband, and when on the morrow, she had
set the bread before her husband, and he began to cut it,
there occurred a wonderful and unheard-of event ; for warm
blood followed the knife as he cut the bread, as if it flowed
from an animal just slain. This circumstance, after it came
to the knowledge of the people, hindered many from labour
on that day.

How Geoffrey archbishop of York, was deprived of all his goods.

About that time, Geoffrey archbishop of York, was, by
command of king John, deprived of all the emoluments of
his archbishopric ; for James sheriff of York, and his attend-
ants, had presumed to attack with violence his manors, and
the property of the clerks and other religious men, and to
make a division of their goods ; on which the said archbishop

A.D. 1200.] HUGH BlSnOP OP LINCOLN. 193

excommunicated the aforesaid James by name, and in general
all the other authors of this violence, for which the latter had
excited the king's anger and indignation against the prelate.
But the cause of the king's anger against him was manifold ;
in the first place, because he did not permit the aforesaid
sheriff to collect in his diocese the tax for the king's use, as
had been generally permitted throughout England ; secondly,
because he would not accompany him into Normandy, to
perform the marriage ceremony between Louis and his niece,
and to make terms with the French king ; thirdly, because
he had excommunicated the said sheriff, and laid the whole
county of York under an interdict.

Of the coronation of king John and queen Isabel at London.

In this year, king John after settling his affairs on the
other side of the water crossed over into England bringing
his wife with him, and on the 8th of October landed at
Dover ; thence they came to London, and were both crowned
at Westminster by Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, in the
presence of the nobles of the kingdom ; Geoffrey archbishop
of York, who had made his peace with the king, was also
present at this ceremony. About this time too, John sent
word to William king of Scots to come to him at Lincoln, on
the day after St. Edmund's day, to satisfy him for his rights
in England.

Of the life of St. Hugh bishop of Lincoln, before his obtaining the

bishopric.

At this time Hugh bishop of Lincoln, of reverend memory,
came from the continent, and being attacked by the quartan
ague at the Old Temple in London, closed his laudable life
by a glorious death on the 16th of November; his holy con-
versation in his life, which was to all men an instruction in
morals, and an example of good works, compels us to insert
a few things about him in this work. This holy man was
born in a remote district of Burgundy, but was more refined
in manners than his family, and was much devoted to literary
pursuits from his youth, and when he was ten years old he
was entrusted to the regular canons to be instructed in divine
learning, amongst whom he was regularly instructed both in
morals and in learning, and after spending sixteen years in

VOL. II. O

194 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1200.

the cell he obtained the office of prior, and in that station all
things went on prosperously with him ; then, determining to
put a stronger check on the dangerous passions of the flesh,
he by the Lord's will went over to the Carthusian order.
Amongst them he showed himself so kind and affable to all,
yet still preserving his religious seriousness, that after a very
short time had elapsed he was appointed manager of all that
house. In course of time, when a house of the Carthusian
order had been established in England by the illustrious
Henry king of England, who burnt with an ardent desire to
promote the cause of God, he was prevailed on by the entreaties
of the monarch to direct his attention to the government of that
house, and, after he was called to the duties of the priorship,
he made it his daily study to increase his former sanctity, for
which, and by his holy conversation, he gained great favour
with the king, who often enjoyed discourse with him. The
king had held in his own hands the church of Lincoln, which
had been for some years deprived of the care of a bishop ; to
atone for which offence as well as he could, he procured the
appointment by election of the aforesaid man, Hugh, to the
government of that church. Afterwards when his election
was announced to the man of God, he replied that he would
not accept the dignity of the pontifical station, unless it was
first made clear to him that he did so by the common consent
of the church of Lincoln, as well as with the permission of
the Carthusian prior. After he had been perfectly satisfied
on these points, the dean of Lincoln wTith the elders of that
church came to the man of God, and he at the first interview
so gained on their regard that they wished for him as their
pastor and spiritual father with devout and sincere affection; but
in order that their consent might be more surely made known
to him they elected him there, and then he for the first time
agreed to it. Afterwards, when he had been consecrated, on
the first night in which he slept in his bishopric, after pay-
ing his devotions he heard a voice saying to him, " Thou
hast gone forth to the safety of thy people to safety with
Christ."

Of the virtues of the holy man in his episcopacy.

This consecrated servant of God, Hugh, so illuminated his
church by his merits, so instructed the people committed to
his charge by his words and his example, that he showed that

A.D. 1200.] SANCTITY OF BISHOP HUGH. v 195

the name of bishop rightly belonged to him, and putting
chosen persons into the cathedral church he built a temple to
God out of those living stones : he also constantly checked the
attacks of the secular power in matters relating to the church,
for he seemed to despise the danger to his goods or body, in
which course he made such progress that he restored many
rights which had been lost, and liberated his church from a
most severe servitude. Besides this holy man was accus-
tomed to enter the houses of leprous people, which he passed
by, and to kiss all afflicted with leprosy however deformed,
and to bestow charity on them with liberality; on this
William, of good memory, chancellor of the same church,
wishing to try if his mind was affected by pride on account
of this, said to him, " Martin, by his kisses, healed the leper,
you do not heal the lepers whom you kiss." The bishop
immediately said to him in reply, " Martin's kiss healed the
leper's flesh, but the leper's kiss heals my spirit." In burying
the dead he so diligently fulfilled the duties of humanity, that
he never neglected any dead body, to whose burial he
thought it his duty to attend. Once, when this holy man
was attending to the care of his flock, visiting some parishes,
and amongst others had arrived at a town called Alcmunde-
beri, the parents of a certain child came to him, bringing
their almost lifeless little one with them, and with tears
besought his assistance. On the bishop asking what they
wanted, the child's mother replied, " This our little boy took
in his hand a piece of iron more than an inch in length and
thickness, and, as a child does, put it into his mouth and
swallowed it, but it stuck fast in his throat and is killing the
child : wherefore, holy father, the Lord has sent you to restore
to us our child, who is now panting at the point of death.
The bishop looking on the child touched his tongue, and pro-
nouncing a blessing, breathed on it, and after marking it with
the sign of the cross, gave him back to his parents ; and on
their taking him from the bishop the iron leaped forth all
bloody, and the boy was cured from that hour. On another
occasion too, when the holy man was passing through a town
called Cestrehunte, the relatives of a certain madman, who
had been for three weeks obliged to be restrained by bonds,
begged of him to visit and bless him ; on hearing which the
holy man dismounted from his horse and went to the mad-

o2

196 ROGER OP WENDOVER. „ [A-D- 1~00-

man, who had his head bound to a post, and his hands and
feet on each side made fast to stakes. The bishop blessed
some water which was brought him, and when the insane
man put out his tongue as if deriding him, he sprinkled some
of the water on it ; he then read over the madman the part
of the Gospel, " In the beginning was the word," and after
giving him his blessing departed. When he was gone, the
diseased man began to sleep, and when he awoke he was
restored to his former state of health. About this time this
pious priest happened to be at Lincoln, assisting in the work
of the mother church there, which he had nobly built from
its foundations ; and whilst he was carrying stones and
mortar in a hod on his shoulders, as was often his custom, a
certain man, lame in both legs, came leaning on two sticks,
and most earnestly begged to carry the same hod, hoping to
recover his soundness of limb by the merits of this blessed
man ; at length he obtained permission from the master of
the work for the hod to be given to him, and, leaning on his
sticks, he began to carry stones and mortar in it. But after
a few days had elapsed, he gave up one stick, and soon after-
wards the other, and after a little while, becoming strong and
upright, he carried the same hod in working at the church
without the support of any stick ; and after he was well he
so loved that hod, that he declared that it should never be
taken away from him. At another time in the same city it
happened that a certain citizen fell into such a state of
insanity that eight men were appointed to take charge of
him, and he was confined by bonds, for he was excited by
such frenzy, that he threatened to tear his wife and his own
children to pieces with his teeth ; at length he was brought
tied in a cart to the man of God, who, on seeing him,
immediately sprinkled holy water on him, and adjured the
evil spirit to come out of him and not to trouble him any
more. The insane man suddenly fell to the ground like one
dying, and the holy man then poured the blessed water on
him in large quantities. Immediately afterwards the mad-
man got up, and, raising his tied hands towards heaven, gave
thanks to God, and to the blessed priest, on which the bonds
were taken off him and he went away a sound man. Also a
certain woman of Lincoln had two sons, one of whom whilst
he was yet a boy had a large swelling in his side ; his mother,

A.D. 1200.] DEATH OF SAINT HUGH. 197

despairing of his health, went to this holy bishop and
obtained his promise to bless her son. The bishop accord-
ingly laid his hands on the diseased part, blessed him, and
sent him away ; after which the tumour was so suddenly
assuaged, that from that hour it neither troubled the boy, nor
did the mother see anything further of it. At another time
it happened that this same woman's other son was hopelessly
suffering from jaundice ; but she, remembering her former
refuge, brought him also before the holy bishop to be blessed
by him, and this one too, after receiving his blessing, was
restored to his former state of health within three days' time.

How Saint Hugh departed this life.

At the end of the fourteenth year of his episcopacy, the
holy bishop Hugh, on his return to England from the prin-
cipal house of the Carthusian order, where he had been to
visit the prior and brothers of that house, at their long-
expressed desire, was taken seriously ill of the quartan ague,
at the old Temple, in the city of London. There king John
came to see him ; but before he left him he confirmed his
will, at the exhortation of the man of God, and promised in
the Lord that he would for the future ratify the reasonable
testaments of prelates. Although his sickness daily gained
ground, he would not at any one's recommendation lay aside,
even for a short time, the hair-cloth garment which he
always wore ; but being the more determined as his death
approached to abide by the rigorous rules of the Car-
thusian order, he, at the call of God, departed happily from
this life to him. When this holy man's body was being
carried by the citizens of London to be buried at Lincoln, a
wonderful circumstance occurred; for the tapers which had
been lighted before the body on leaving London, burnt con-
tinually during four days' journey, so that they were not at
any time without the light of one of the tapers, although the
weather was often unusually bad, on account of the wind
and rain ; from this circumstance there is no doubt but that
the Lord had prepared eternal light for his soul, since, out of
regard for his body, he did not permit the temporal light to
be extinguished. This servant of God, Hugh, bishop of
Lincoln, died in the year of the incarnate Word 1200, on
the 17th of November.

198 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1200.

How the body of St. Hugh was carried to Lincoln to be buried.

On the 21st of November, John king of the English and
William king of Scots met in conference together with all
the nobility, both clergy and laity of both kingdoms. In
opposition to the advice of many, king John entered the city
(Lincoln) boldly, which none of his predecessors had dared to
attempt, and, on arriving at the cathedral church, he offered
a golden cup on the altar of St. John the Baptist, which was
in the new building erected from the foundation by the
before-mentioned St. Hugh. On the same day, he and the
king of Scots met on a hill outside the city, and there, in
sight of all the people, William king of Scots did homage
to king John for all his right, and afterwards, in the presence
of all the nobles of the kingdom, swore fealty to him, on the
cross of Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, for life, for limb,
and earthly honour, against all men. On this same day the
body of the most holy bishop Hugh was brought there to be
buried ; and the said two kings went out to meet it, accom-
panied by three archbishops, namely, Hubert of Canterbury,
Geoffrey of York, and Bernard of Ragua,* thirteen bishops,
earls, barons, and priests without end, and received his most
sacred body ; and the kings themselves, with the earls and
other nobles, carried it on their shoulders to the hall of the
cathedral church. But at the door of the church, the above-
named archbishops and bishops received it, and by these
priests it was carried into the choir, where it was honourably
laid out for the night. This bishop was accustomed in his
life-time so diligently to perform the duties of humanity in
burying the dead, that he never neglected any dead body
whose burial he thought it his duty to attend to ; for which
reason the Lord, who knows how to reward the merits of the
just by a fitting recompence, allowed him such a distinguished
burial, that he might seem to be recompensing him by the
honour of it for his above-mentioned merit. Before the
burial, however, of this man of God, whilst the funeral
ceremonies for him were being performed, and he himself
was, as was the custom with high priests, lying with his face
uncovered, wearing the mitre on his head, gloves on his
hands, and a ring on his finger, with other pontifical orna-

* It is not known who is here meant.

A.D. 1200.] FUNERAL OF ST. I1UGII. 199

merits, a certain soldier, well known to the canons of the
church, whose arm was eaten away by a cancer till the bone
appeared deprived of flesh, placed his arm over the body of
the bishop, and frequently wetted his face with his tears to
heal his diseased limb, and immediately the flesh and skin of
his arm were compassionately restored by the Lord, through
the merits of his saint ; for which the soldier returned
thanks to God and to the holy prelate, and often showed
himself to the deacon of the church, and other credible
persons. At the same time a certain woman, who had been for
seven years blind of one eye, in the sight and to the wonder
of all, recovered her sight. At the same time, a certain
cut-purse, in the press and crowd of people which was
assembled around this servant of God, cut away a woman's
purse ; but, by the merits of the blessed bishop, who showed
that he was not dead but alive, both hands of the wicked
thief were so contracted, and his fingers became so firmly
fixed to the palms of his hands, that not being able to hold
the property he had stolen, he threw it down on the pave-
ment of the church, and, looking like a madman, he became
an object of derision to the people; and so, after he had
been disturbed by an evil spirit for a length of time, he
came to himself, and stood motionless : at length he began
to weep bitterly, and in the hearing of all, he then confessed
his most base crime to all who would listen to him. At
length, when he had no other means of escape, he turned to
a priest, saying, " Pity me, pity me, ye friends of God ; for
I renounce Satan and his works, to whom I have till now
been a slave ; and pray to the Lord for me, that he may not
confound me in my penitence, but may rather deal com-
passionately with me." And immediately, after a prayer had
been uttered on his behalf to God, the chains of Satan, by
which his hands had been bound, were loosed, and, becoming
sound, he returned thanks to God and the blessed bishop.

Of the burial of St. Hugh,

When the vigils over the body of the bishop had been
duly observed, at day-light on the following day, the arch-
bishops with the above-mentioned bishops, after performing
mass in the new church which he himself had built in honour
of Mary, the mother of God, duly consigned his holy body

200 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1200.

to the tomb near the altar of St. John the Baptist ; and they
performed this duty with such distinction, that it might seem
ordained by God for them to assemble for this especial
purpose. He was buried on the 24th of November, and
miracles continue to be wrought at his tomb, for those
who sought after them with faith. For after his glorious
death, a certain boy in some part of Lincoln, who had been
ill for fifteen days, was, by the increasing power of his
disease, brought to death's door, and his body suddenly
became stiff, as though he had been dead for several days ;
on seeing which, a woman who was by him closed his eyes
and laid out his limbs, as is the custom with the dead.
After he had lain in this manner from the time of cock-
crowing till day-break, his mother, whose faith even amidst
her tears had not died with her son, approached the body
with confidence, and, taking a thread used for making
candle-wicks, measured the boy's body all over, after which,
she said with confidence, even amidst her tears, " Even
though my son had been buried, the Lord could restore him
through the merits of St. Hugh. As day drew on, they
prayed and gave alms on behalf of the child's soul, and sent for
a priest to bury him, although his mother constantly cried
against it; but before the priest who was sent for had
arrived, the mother, anxious for the preservation of her
child, discovered life in him, whereupon she glorified God
and the blessed bishop, to whose merits she ascribed this
miracle. Let these few circumstances concerning the life of
this man of God, suffice out of many which tend to other
matters.*

Of the appearance of five moons.

In this same month, a little before Christmas, about the
first watch of the night, five moons appeared in the heavens ;
the first appeared in the north, the second in the south, the
third in the west, and the fourth in the east, the fifth ap-
peared in the middle of the first four, with several stars
round it ; and this last one, with its accompanying stars,

* Matthew Paris adds : " Gilo de Brause was consecrated bishop of
Hereford on the 24th of September, at Westminster. Mauger also was
made bishop of Worcester, and John de Grim of Norwich. "

A.D, 1201.] JOHN CROWNED AT CANTERBURY. 201

made the circuit of the other four moons five times or more.
This phenomenon lasted for about an hour, to the wonder of
many who beheld it.

How the king and queen of the English were crowned at Canterbury.

a.d. 1201. King John kept Christmas at Guilford, and
there he distributed a number of festive garments amongst
his knights ; and Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, striving
to make himself on a level with the king, did the same at
Canterbury, by which he roused the indignation of the king
in no slight degree. Afterwards the king set out to North-
umberland, and exacted a very large sum of money from
the inhabitants of that county. He then returned to Can-
terbury in company with his queen, and on the following
Easter-day they were both crowned at that place ; and at the
ceremony the archbishop of Canterbury was at great, not to
say superfluous, expense, in entertaining them. On the
following Ascension-day at Tewkesbury the king issued a
proclamation, that the earls and barons, and all who owed
military service to him, should be ready with horses and
arms at Portsmouth, to set out with him for his transmarine
provinces at the ensuing Whitsuntide; but when the ap-
pointed day came, many of them obtained permission to
remain behind, paying to the king two marks of silver for
each scutcheon.*

* Matthew Paris adds : — " In these days a schoolmaster of Paris, by
birth a Frenchman, named Simon Churnay, a man of extensive talent and
great memory, after having successfully conducted schools ten years in the
trivium and the quadrivium which make up the seven liberal arts, turned
his attention to theology, in which he, after a few years, made such progress,
that he was thought worthy of the professorial chair : whereupon he gave
lectures, and held subtle disputations, wherein he ably solved and elucidated
the most difficult questions ; and he was attended by so many hearers that
the most ample palace could scarcely contain them. One day when he had
publicly disputed, using the most subtle arguments about the Trinity, and
the settlement of the disputation was put off till the next day, all the theolo-
gical students in the city, forewarned to hear so many solutions of difficult
questions, flocked together in numbers and filled the school. The professor
then resolved all the aforesaid questions, inexplicable though they appeared
to the audience, so plainly and elegantly, and in so catholic a sense, that
all were struck with astonishment. Some of his more familiar scholars who
were the most eager to learn, came to him when the lecture was over and
requested him to dictate to them, that they might make notes of his solu-
tions, which they said were too valuable to be lost to posterity. Elated at

202 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1201.

How king John and his queen crossed the sea to Normandy.

After keeping the festival of Whitsuntide at Portsmouth,
the king with his queen embarked on the following day, and,
after much trouble, arrived in Normandy. Shortly after-
wards the English and French kings held a conference near
the isle of Andelys, where terms of peace were agreed on ;
and three days after king John, at the invitation of the
French king, went to Paris, and was entertained in the
palace of that monarch there, who himself took up his resi-
dence elsewhere. After being entertained there honourably
and as became a king, he left and went to Chinon. At the
same time, in order that the peace between the kings might
be more firmly secured, it was determined and confirmed by
writings, that, if the French king should in any way violate
the terms of the before-mentioned peace, the barons of the
French kingdom, w^hom he had found as sureties for him,
should be absolved of all fealty to him, and should join the
king of the English in attacking the French king, and com-
pelling him to keep the said peace. The same agreement
was made on the part of the king of England. In this year
dreadful storms of thunder, lightning, and hail, with deluges
of rain, alarmed men's minds and did great injury in many
parts. About this time too, at the instance of pope Innocent,
the fortieth portion of the incomes of all churches was given
in aid of the land of promise ; and the nobles and commoners
alike, who had laid aside the symbol of the cross, were with
apostolic severity compelled to resume it.

this, the professor swelled with pride, and, with eyes uplifted, laughed
aloud. 'O ray little Jesus, my little Jesus, how have I exalted and con-
firmed your law in this disputation ! Truly, if I wished to act the malignant
and attack your doctrines, I could find still more powerful arguments to
weaken and impugn them.' He had no sooner said these words than he
hecame dumb, and not only dumb, but ridiculously idiotic, and never read
or disputed afterwards, and so he became a laughing-stock to his former
auditors. Within two years afterwards he learned to distinguish the letters,
and his punishment was a little mitigated, so that he could with difficulty
learn to repeat the Lord's Prayer and the Creed, and not forget them.
This miracle checked the arrogance of many of the scholars. Nicholas de
Fuley, afterwards bishop of Durham, witnessed this fact, and communi-
cated it to me. From his high authority I have set it down in writing, that
the memory of so great a miracle might not be lost to posterity. It is a
story altogether worthy to be received."

A.D. 1202.] ANIMOSITY OF THE TWO KINGS. 203

Of a disagreement which arose between the French and English kings.

a.d. 1202. King John kept the festival of Christmas at
Argentan in Normandy ; and in the following Lent, a con-
ference was held between the French and English kings
near the castle of Guletune. At this interview the French
king, urged by deadly hatred against the king of England,
indignantly ordered him immediately to give up to Arthur
count of Brittany, all the possessions which he held on that
side of the sea, namely, Normandy, Tours, Anjou, and
Poictou, and required many otehr things from him, which
the English king refused to comply with. The French king,
not succeeding in his purpose at the interview, on the follow-
ing day made a sudden attack on the castle of Butavant, and
levelled it with the ground ; and marching on from thence he
by force took possession of the town of Augi, with the castle
of Liuns, and several other fortresses ; he also besieged the
castle of Raclepunt for eight days, but, on the king of the
English coming upon him, he retired from that place in con-
fusion. But after a few days he turned off to Gournaye, and
by breaking through the lake, caused such a rush of water,
that a great part of the walls which surrounded the city were
knocked down ; on this all the garrison fled, and the king of
the French entered and subdued the city without any one to
oppose him. He then returned to Paris, and placed Arthur
in charge of safe persons, giving him two hundred French
soldiers to accompany him into Poictou, that by warlike in-
cursions they might subdue those districts for Arthur. But
as this troop was marching forth with a pompous noise, word
was brought them that queen Eleanor was staying in the
castle of Mirabeau, attended by a small garrison ; they there-
fore by common consent directed the fury of their attacks
against that castle, and laid siege to it; as there was not
strength in the garrison to resist them, the castle was sur-
rendered to them except a tower into which queen Eleanor
had thrown herself with a few soldiers, and this they could
not gain possession of. They therefore directed their attacks
against the tower ; and at this place there came to the assist-
ance of Arthur all the nobles and soldiers of rank in Poictou,
and one in particular was Hugh, surnamed Le Brun, earl of
March, who was a declared enemy of the English king, on

204 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1202.

account of queen Isabel, whom the said earl had engaged as
his wife by word of mouth before she was married to king
John ; and thus they formed a large force there, and con-
tinued the most fierce assaults on the castle in order to gain
possession of it as soon as possible.

Of a glorious victory gained by king John at Mirabeau.

The queen being placed in this predicament, sent mes-
sengers with orders to use all speed, to the king, who was
then in Normandy, earnestly beseeching him by his filial
affection to come to her assistance ; on receipt of this
intelligence, the king hastily set out with a strong force, and
travelling night and day, he accomplished the long distance
quicker than is to be believed, and arrived at Mirabeau.
When the French and the people of Poictou learned that
the king was on his way, they went out with a pompous
array to meet him, and give him battle ; but when they met
each other in battle order, and had engaged, the king
bravely withstood their turbulent attacks, and at length put
them to flight, pursuing them so quickly with his cavalry,
that he entered the castle at the same time as the fugitives.
Then a most severe conflict took place inside the walls of
the castle, but was soon determined by the laudable valour
of the English ; in the conflict there two hundred French
knights were taken prisoners, and all the nobles in Poictou
and Anjou, together with Arthur himself, so that not one
out of the whole number escaped who could return and tell
the misfortune to the rest of their countrymen. Having
therefore, secured his prisoners in fetters and shackles, and
placed them in cars, a new and unusual mode of convey-
ance, the king sent some of them to Normandy, and some
to England, to be imprisoned in strong castles, whence there
would be no fear of their escape ; but Arthur was kept at
Falaise under close custody.

How the French king retired in confusion from the siege of the castle

of Argues.

Whilst these events were passing at the castle of Mirabeau,
the French king with a large army marched against the
castle of Arques, and laid siege to it. So arranging his
engines all round it, he for fifteen days endeavoured, by

A.D. 1202.] DEATH OP ARTHUR. 205

means of petrarise, and balistas, to break through the walls ;
the garrison, on the other hand, resisting bravely, en-
deavoured by a continued discharge of stones and arrows
to drive the enemy to a greater distance ; but as soon as
the report of the capture of Arthur and his own followers
reached the ears of the French king, he retired from
the siege in vexation. In his retreat he destroyed and
burned every place he came to, and even reduced the
monasteries of the religious men to ashes : at length he
reached Paris, and remained inactive there for the rest of
that year.

Of the death of Arthur, count of Brittany,

After some lapse of time, king John came to the castle of
Falaise, and ordered his nephew Arthur to be brought into
his presence ; when he appeared, the king addressed him
kindly, and promised him many honours, asking him to
separate himself from the French king, and to adhere to the
side of himself, as his lord and uncle. But Arthur ill-
advisedly replied to him with indignation and threats, and
demanded of the king that he should give up to him the
kingdom of England, with all the territories, which king
Richard possessed at the time of his death ; and, since all
those possessions belonged to him by hereditary right, he
affirmed with an oath, that unless king John quickly restored
the aforesaid territories to him, he should never enjoy peace
for any length of time. The king was much troubled at
hearing his words, and gave orders that Arthur should be
sent to Rouen, to be imprisoned in the new tower there, and
kept closely guarded ; but shortly afterwards the said
Arthur suddenly disappeared.* In this same year, king
John came to England, and was crowned at Canterbury by
Hubert archbishop of that place, on the 14th of April, and
after this he again sailed for Normandy. On his arrival

* " The same year pope Innocent proposed to exact a large sum of
money from the Cistertian order, for the use of the crusade, as he professed,
but in reality to gratify his own avarice. He was, however, admonished by
the holy Virgin, and in alarm, ceased from his intention. He had also
ordered the fortieth part of all rents to be collected throughout all
England, for the use of the crusaders. About this time died the nobleman,
William de Stuteville."— M. Paris.

206 EOGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1203.

there an opinion about the death of Arthur gained ground
throughout the French kingdom and the continent in general,
by which it seemed that John was suspected by all of having
slain him with his own hand ; for which reason many turned
their affections from the king from that time forward where-
cver they dared, and entertained the deepest enmity against
him.*

How the nobles of England deserted king John in Normandy,

a. d. 1203. King John spent Christmas at Caen in
Normandy, where, laying aside all thoughts of war, he
feasted sumptuously with his queen daily, and prolonged his
sleep in the morning till breakfast time. But after the
solemnities of Easter had been observed, the French king,
having collected a large army, took several castles belonging
to the king of England, some of which he levelled to the

* u The same year, the king caused proclamation to be made that the
legal assize of bread should be observed, under severe penalty. The
assize was proved by the baker of Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, justiciary of
England, and the baker of R. de Thurnam ; so that the bakers might
make a profit of threepence on the sale of every quarter, besides the bran,
and two loaves for the oven, four oboli for four servants, a farthing for two
boys, an obolus for salt, an obolus for yeast, a farthing for the candle,
three pence /or the wood (fuel), and an obolus for the refuse. When corn is
sold for six shillings, then the bread from the quartern, white and well-
baked, shall weigh sixteen shillings of twenty (lora) ; and the bread from
the whole corn shall be good and well-baked, so that nothing shall be
deducted, and it shall weigh twenty-four shillings. When corn is sold for
five shillings and sixpence, the white bread shall weigh twenty shillings,
and from all the corn twenty-eight shillings. When corn is sold for five
shillings, the white bread shall weigh twenty-four shillings, and the bread
from the whole corn, thirty-two shillings. When corn is sold for four
shillings and sixpence, the white bread shall be at thirty-two shillings, and
from all the corn, forty-two shillings. When corn is sold at four shillings,
the white bread shall weigh thirty-six shillings, and from all the corn, forty-
six shillings. When corn is sold at three shillings and sixpence, the white
bread shall weigh forty-two shillings, and from all the corn, forty-four
shillings. When corn is sold for three shillings, the white loaf shall
weigh forty-eight shillings, and from the whole corn sixty-four shillings.
When corn is sold for two shillings and sixpence, the white bread shall
weigh fifty-four shillings, and from all the corn, seventy-two shillings.
When corn is sold for two shillings, the white bread shall be at sixty
shillings, and from all the corn at four pounds. When corn is sold at
eighteen pence, the white loaf shall weigh seventy- seven shillings, and from
all the corn at four pounds eight shillings. This proclamation was made
throughout the whole kingdom." — M. Paris.

A.D. 1203.] SLOTHFULNESS OF KING JOHN. 207

ground, but the stronger ones he kept entire. At length
messengers came to king John with the news, saying, the
king of the French has entered your territories as an enemy,
has taken such and such castles, carries off the governors of
them ignominiously bound to their horses' tails, and disposes
of your property at will, without any one gainsaying him.
In reply to this news, king John said, u Let him do so ;
whatever he now seizes on I will one day recover :" and
neither these messengers, nor others who brought him the
like news, could obtain any other answer. But the earls and
barons, and other nobles of the kingdom of England, who
had till that time firmly adhered to him, when they heard
his words and saw his incorrigible idleness, obtained his
permission and returned home, pretending that they would
come back to him, and so left the king with only a few
soldiers in Normandy. Hugh de Gournaye, to whom king
John had in all honour entrusted the castle of Montfort,
delivered it up to the king of the French, and admitted his
soldiers into it by night, and in this manner, renouncing
himself his fealty to his liege lord, fled to the king of France.
In the meantime, the king of the English was staying inactive
at Rouen with his queen, so that it was said that he was
infatuated by sorcery or witchcraft ; for, in the midst of all
his losses and disgrace, he showed a cheerful countenance to
all, as though he had lost nothing. The French king, in the
meantime, with an immense army, came to the town of Ruyl,
where there was a noble castle, which he at once surrounded
with his engines of war ; but after he had arranged them in
order, even before he had made one assault, Robert Fitz-
Walter and Sayer de Quincy, the noblemen to whom the
charge of the castle had been entrusted, delivered it up
uninjured to the French king, and as the least stone of that
castle was not damaged, so not one hair of the heads of the
garrison was hurt; but the king of the French, who was
much enraged against them, ordered them to be chained, and
kept in close confinement at Compiegne, where they were
retained in disgrace till a heavy ransom was paid for their
release. All opposition to him in Normandy and the other
transmarine territories having ceased, the French king
marched through the provinces at will and without hindrance,
and regained possession of several castles ; he also at this

208 ROGER OF WENDOVER. !~A.D. 1203.

time laid siege to the fine castle of the Rock of Andelys, whicjh
Richard had built, but by the prowess and incomparable
fidelity of Roger de Lacy, to whose care that fortress had
been entrusted, he gained nothing by the siege, except that
by refusing egress to the besieged, he prevented them from
obtaining supplies. Whilst these events were passing, some
of the Normans seceded altogether from the king of the
English, and others only feigned adherence to him.

How king John came to England and exacted large sums of money from

the nobles.

King John at length seeing his fault, and that he was
destitute of all military supplies, took ship in all haste and on
St. Nicholas's day landed at Portsmouth. Then urging
against the earls and barons as an excuse, that they had left
him in the midst of his enemies on the continent, by which
he had lost his castles and territories through their defection,
he took from them the seventh part of all their moveable
goods ; and in this act he did not refrain from laying violent
hands on the property of conventual or parochial churches,
inasmuch as he employed Hubert archbishop of Canterbury
as the agent of this robbery in regard to the church property,
and Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, justiciary of England, for the goods
of the laity, and these two spared no one in the execution of
their orders. The French king, when he learnt that the king
of England had left his transmarine territories, went in great
strength to each of the towns and castles of the district,
explaining to the citizens and governors of castles that they
were deserted by their lord. He also said that he was the
principal lord of those provinces, and that if the English king
should ignominiously abandon them, he had no intention of
losing the superior authority which belonged to him ; where-
fore he begged of them as a friend to receive him as their
lord since they had no other ; but he declared with an oath,
that if they did not do this willingly, and dared to contend
against him, he would subdue them as enemies and hang
them all on the gibbet or flay them alive. At length, after
much disputing on both sides, they unanimously agreed to
give hostages to the king of the French, for their keeping a
truce for one year ; after which time, if they did not receive
assistance from the king of the English, they would thence-

A.D. 1204.] IMAGE OF THE VIRGIN MART. 20f)

forward acknowledge him as their ruler, and give the cities
and castles up to him ; having effected this the French king
returned to his own territories.

The promotion of William bishop of Lincoln.

In the same year Master William, precentor and canon of
the church of Lincoln, was consecrated bishop of the same
church at Westminster, on St. Bartholomew the apostle's
day, by William bishop of London. Gilbert bishop of
Rochester appealed in favour of his own claim, but did not
succeed; for Hubert archbishop of Canterbury was lying
very ill at the time.

How subsidies for war were generally granted to the king,

a.d. 1204. King John kept Christmas at Canterbury,
Hubert, archbishop of that place, supplying all necessaries for
the festivity to the king. After which, on the day after the
circumcision, the king and the nobles of England met at
Oxford at a conference, when supplies for war were granted
to the king, two marks and a half from each scutcheon ; nor
did the bishops and abbats depart without giving a promise
to the same effect.

How the oil of the image of the mother of God wonderfully became flesh.

In the same year, on the third day before Easter, there
happened a most wonderful miracle concerning the oil of the
image of the mother of God at Sardenai, which was as
follows : it happened in the prison of the Christian soldiers,
in the castle of Damascus, that a certain soldier took from his
box a phial, in which he had put some of the oil which drops
from the image of the mother of God at Sardenai ; but as he
looked carefully at the bottle, in which the oil had been put
as clear and transparent as water, the oil in it appeared to
become fleshy, but divided into two parts, for one portion
adhered to the lower part of the phial, and the other portion
to the upper part. The soldier then took his knife and
endeavoured to join the upper part to the lower, but as soon
as the edge of the knife touched the incarnate oil, drops of
blood flowed from it to the astonishment of the chaplains,
knights, and all the other prisoners who were looking on at
it ; and since many are ignorant of the truth concerning this

VOL. II. p

210 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1204.

image of the mother of God, it is most proper that we should]
relate the origin of it, to those who do not know it, to thel
praise of the said mother of God.

Of the origin of the said image, and some of its miracles.

There lived at Damascus, the capital city of Syria, a
certain venerable matron, who took the habit of a nun and
made it her business to serve God most devoutly ; and, that
she might be more at liberty to perform her religious duties,
and to avoid the noise of the city, she retired to a place called
Sardenai, six miles from the above-named city, and there
building for herself a house and oratory in honour of the holy
mother of God, she performed the duties of hospitality to
pilgrims and the poor. Now it happened that a certain
monk, from the city of Constantinople, came to Jerusalem for
the sake of devotion and of seeing the holy places, and he
was charitably received as a guest by the aforesaid nun ; the
latter, on learning that he was going to the holy city, humbly
and earnestly besought him to bring with him on his return
from Jerusalem some image, that is some painted picture, for
her to put in her oratory, which would show her, when she
prayed, the likeness of the mother of God, and he faithfully
promised that he would bring her one. After he had reached
Jerusalem, he fulfilled his devotional duties, and when they
were finished he prepared to return, forgetting his promise to
the nun ; and after he had got out of the city on. his way
back, a voice came from heaven saying to him, u Why dost
thou return thus empty-handed ? Where is the image thou I
didst promise to take to the nun?" Being thus reminded of
the thing, the monk returned into the city, and going to a
place where images were sold he bought one which pleased
him, and carried it with him on his return. On his
reaching a place called Gith, a fierce lion, which lay concealecl
in a den there devouring human beings, came to meet the
monk on his way and began to lick his feet, and thus under
the protection of the divine grace he escaped unhurt. After-
wards he fell into the snares of robbers, and when they were
about to lay violent hands on him, they were so frightened by
the voice of some angel which rebuked them, that they could
not speak or move at all. Then the monk, looking at the
image which he held, knew that some divine virtue lay con-

A.D. 1204.] MIRACLES OF THE IMAGE. 211

cealed in it; and then he vainly troubled himself in deli-
berating how he could cheat the nun, and carry the image
away with him to his own country. On his arrival at the
city of Acre, he went on board a ship, wishing, if possible, to
return home ; but after they had run with full sails for some
days, a sudden storm arose, and they were in such peril, that
every one threw the goods which belonged to him into the
sea. But when the monk amongst the rest was about to
commit his satchel to the waves, the angel of the Lord said to
him, " Do not do thus, but lift the image up in your hands
towards the Lord;" and when he, in obedience to the com-
mands of the angel, lifted the image on high, the storm
immediately ceased; but as the crew did not know where
they were going they returned to the city of Acre. Then
the monk learning God's will from the image and desiring to
fulfil his promise, returned to the nun and again enjoyed her
hospitality; she, on account of her frequent guests, did not
know him, and consequently did not ask him for the image,
on seeing which the monk again thought of taking the image
with him on his return home. But early in the morning
when he had obtained leave to depart, he went into the
oratory to pray, and when, after having performed his
devotions, he wanted to go out, he could not find the door ;
he therefore put the image which he held on the altar of the
oratory, on which he beheld the door open ; but when he
again took up the image and endeavoured to go out, he again
could not find the door. At length when he saw that the
divine virtue surrounded the image, he put it on the altar of
the oratory, and going back to the nun, he related in order
all the wonderful circumstances connected with the image as
has been related above ; he therefore said that it was the will
of God for the image to remain there, and be worshipped
with all due honour. The nun therefore took it, and blessed
God and his mother, for all that the monk had related to her,
the monk too determined to pass the rest of his life at that
same place, on account of the miracles which he knew the
Lord had effected by means of the image of his mother. The
image then began to be greatly revered by all, and all admired
the great and wonderful works of God in it.

p2

212 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1204.

How the image of the mother of God emitted oil.

After these events the nun built a place, that seemed to
her more honourable in which to put the image, and asked a
priest, as being more worthy than herself and one remarkable
for his sanctity, as she believed, to put on his sacred robes,
and transport the image to the before-mentioned place. He,
however, was afraid to touch it, because when it had been
placed on the altar it had begun to drip, and from that time
it had never ceased to give forth a very clear liquor like oil ;
the nun had at first wiped this moisture away with a fine
linen cloth, but afterwards she procured a small brass vessel
and caught the oil, which she administered to the sick, and
whenever this was done in the name of the Lord and his
mother, they were then cured of their diseases and remain in
health to this time. But when the above-mentioned priest
approached the image carelessly to take it away, as soon as
he touched the liquor which flowed from it his hands became
withered, and after three days he departed to the Lord.
After this no one presumed to touch the image or to remove it
from its place, except that nun alone. At length the religious
woman placed a glass vessel under the image, that the oil
flowing from it might be caught in that vessel, and kept to
supply the wants of the sick.

How the same image gave forth teats of flesh.

In course of time a wonderful and hitherto unheard-of
circumstance happened, for the aforesaid image, in the sight
of all, produced by degrees breasts of flesh, and began to be
clothed with flesh in a wonderful way; so that from the
breasts downwards it seemed entirely covered with flesh, and
from this flesh the liquid dropped incessantly. The brothers
of the temple, during the truce with Saladin, took some of
this oil to their own houses to distribute it to the pilgrims
who came there to pray, that they might with reverence exalt
the honour of the mother of God in the various quarters of
the world. There are indeed monks in some parts of the
monastery who perform religious duties, but the dignity and
authority of the nuns is out of respect to the aforesaid
woman who first inhabited that place, and built an oratory
there in honour of the holy Mary, mother of God.

A.O. 1204.] SUBJECTION OF NOKMANDY. 213

How a certain sultan recovered his sight by the agency of this image.

It happened at that time that the sultan of Damascus, who
had been blind of one eye, was attacked by a disease in the
eye with which he could see, and became totally blind ; and
he, hearing of the aforesaid image by which God wrought
so many miracles, went to the place and entered the oratory ;
and although he was a pagan, he had faith in the Lord, that,
through the image of his mother, his own health might be
restored, and falling to the earth, he remained prostrate in
prayer ; and when he arose from his devotions, he saw the
light burning in the lamp which hung before the image of
Mary the mother of God, and found to his joy that he had
recovered his sight. He therefore, and all who were with
him and saw this, gave glory to God ; and because he had
first seen the light burning in the lamp, he made a vow to
the Lord, that he would from that time give annually sixty
measures of oil for the lamps of that oratory, in which he,
through the merits of the blessed Mary, mother of God, had
recovered his sight.

How Normandy with other transmarine possessions yielded to the rule of

the French king.

About that time the French king's army which for almost
a year had been besieging the castle of the Rock of Andelys,
had undermined and knocked down a great part of the walls.
But the noble and warlike Roger, constable of Chester, still
defended the entrance against the French ; but at length his
provisions failing him, and being reduced to such want, that
no one had a single allowance of food, he preferred to die in
battle to being starved : on which he and his soldiers armed
themselves, flew to horse, and sallied from the castle : but
after they had slain numbers opposed to them, they were at
length taken prisoners, although with much difficulty. Thus
the castle of the Rock of Andelys fell into the hands of the
French king on the 6th of March, and Roger de Lacy with all
his followers were taken to France, where, on account of the
bravery which he had shown in defence of his castle, he was
detained prisoner on parole. On this all the holders of castles
in the transmarine territories, with the citizens and other sub-
jects of the king of England, sent messengers to England to
tell him in what a precarious situation they were placed, and

214 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1205.

that the time, according to the terms of the treaty, was near,
when they must either give up the cities and castles to the
king of the French, or consign to destruction the hostages
which they had given him. To which message king John
answered ; and intimated by the same messengers to all of
them, that they were to expect no assistance from him, but
that they each were to do what seemed best to him. And
thus, all kind of defence failing in those provinces, the whole
of Normandy, Tours, Anjou, and Poictou, with the cities,
castles, and other possessions, except the castles of Rochelle,
Thouars, and Niorz, fell to the dominion of the king of the
French. When this was told to the English king, he was
enjoying all the pleasures of life with his queen, in whose
company he believed that he possessed everything he wanted;
moreover, he felt confidence in the immensity of the wealth
he had collected, as if by that he could regain the territory
he had lost.

Of the death of Godfrey bishop of Winchester, and the succession of
Peter de Rupibus.

On the 1st of April in this same year, in the first watch of
the night, there appeared in the northern and eastern quar-
ters of the heavens such a redness, that it was believed by all
to be real fire ; and what was to be wondered at most, was
that in the thickest part of this redness there appeared some
glittering stars; this phenomenon lasted till midnight. In
the same year Godfrey bishop of Winchester died, and was
succeeded by Peter de Rupibus, a man of knightly rank, and
skilled in warfare ; he was appointed to the bishopric by the
interest of king John, and set out to Rome ; and, after be-
stowing his presents there with great liberality, he hastened
to the church at Winchester to be consecrated bishop. In
this year too the last day of Easter fell on the day of the
evangelist St. Mark.

Of certain remarkable events.

a.d. 1205. King John kept Christmas at Tewkesbury,
but scarcely stayed there one day ; and in the same month of
January the land was frozen to such a degree that all agri-
cultural labour was suspended from the 14th of January till
the 22nd of March, on account of which, in the following

A.D. 1205.] DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP HUBERT. 215

summer a load of corn was sold for fourteen shillings. About
Whitsuntide in this same year king John assembled a large
army, as if he was about to cross the sea, and, although the
archbishop of Canterbury and many others dissuaded him
from it, he ordered a large fleet to be collected at Portsmouth;
he afterwards embarked with only a small company on the
15th of July, and put to sea with all sails spread; but,
changing his purpose, he on the third day landed at Studland
near Warham. On his return he took an immense sum of
money from the earls, barons, knights, and religious men,
accusing them of refusing to accompany him to the continent
to recover his lost inheritance. In this year, on the eve of
St. John the Baptist's day, the castle of Chinon was given
up to the French king.

Of the death of Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, and the election of
the sub-prior of the church at Canterbury*

On the 13th of July in this same year Hubert archbishop
of Canterbury died at Tenham, to the great delight of the
king, by whom he was suspected of being too familiar with
the king of the French. After the death then of the arch-
bishop, even before his body was consigned to the tomb,
some of the juniors of the conventual church at Canterbury,
without asking the king's consent, elected Reginald the sub-
prior, to be their archbishop, and in the middle of the night,
after electing him, they chanted the " Te Deum," and placed
him first upon the great altar, and afterwards in the archi-
episcopal chair; for they were afraid that if this election
without the king's consent should reach his ears, he would
endeavour to prevent their proceeding with it. Therefore in
that same night the said sub-prior having made oath that he
would not consider himself elected without the permission
and special letters of the convent, nor show to any one
the letters which he held, took some monks of the convent
with him, and went to the court of Rome. But all this was
clone that that election might be concealed from the king till
they found out whether they could at the court of Rome
carry the election they had commenced into effect. But the
aforesaid archbishop-elect, as soon as he landed in Flanders,
disregarding the oath he had taken, openly declared that
he was elected archbishop of Canterbury, and was going

216 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1205.

to the court of Rome to confirm his election ; he moreover
showed every one the letters of the convent which he held ;
believing that by this he should in no small degree forward the
merits of his cause. Arriving at length at Rome, he forth-
with made known his election to our lord the pope and his
cardinals, and openly showing his letters to all, he boldly
required the pope to confirm his election by the apostolic
benediction: but the pope answering in haste, said that he
would take time to consider of it, in order that he might be
more assured of the truth of the before-named circum-
stances.*

* " About the same time pope Innocent wrote the following letter to the
suffragans of Canterbury, in defence of the monks of that church : —

" ' Innocent, bishop, servant of the servattts of God, to his venerable
brothers the suffragans generally of the church of Canterbury, health and
apostolical benediction. — Whereas, in the time of the Jewish law, which,
as we read, never brought any man to that which is perfect, parents after
the flesh were held in such honour by their children after the flesh, that
whoever cursed them was sentenced by the law of God to death, much
more does it become those who are placed under the law of grace, and for
whom the doors of Paradise have been opened through the most precious
blood of Christ, to take heed lest by transgression they incur the sentence
of damnation, seeing that detriment to the soul is more to be feared than
any danger that can happen to the body. If therefore worldly parents are
to be held in so much honour, what shall we say of spiritual parents ? Shall
they not be held superior in honour to earthly parents, in the same propor-
tion as the soul surpasses the body? We have premised thus much, my
brethren, inasmuch as, in oui care for your salvation, we fear lest the
present tribulation, which has been raised, it is said, by your means, should
be productive of danger to the soul, concerning the church of Canterbury,
which you are bound to reverence as your mother; and that the detriment
to the said church be such that it may not be remedied for a great length
of time. We therefore exhort your brotherhood in the Lord, by these our
apostolical letters, that you diligently keep in view what concerns your
honour and the salvation of your souls, and not molest the church of Can-
terbury your mother, whose privileges you are bound to defend, lest she
have cause to complain of you, and to say she has nourished sons, who
have not only not known her, bat have persecuted her most severely. In
saying these things we have no wish to detract from your rights, but in pious
solicitude to prevent you from injuring others on pretence of asserting
your own claims. May God enlighten your hearts, my brethren, and en-
able you without contention to pay all obedience to your mother-church,
and do nothing in defiance of divine or human law, which you would not
wish others to do towards yourselves. — Given at Rome, at St. Peter's,
Dec. 8, in the 8th year of our pontificate. ' "

A. 73. 1205.] ELECTION OF ARCII BISHOP. 217

Of the election of John bishop of Norwich , at the request of the English

king.

The monks of Canterbury in the meantime, as soon as
they heard that their sub-prior had violated his oath, and had,
as soon as he arrived in Flanders, declared that he was
elected, thus revealing their secret, were much enraged
against him, and immediately sent some of the monks from
the convent to the king to ask his permission to choose a
pastor who was suited to them ; the king immediately and with-
out any hesitation kindly granted their request, and speaking
confidentially to them, hinted that the bishop of Norwich was
a great friend of his, and that he alone of all the English
prelates was aware of his secrets ; on which account, he
asserted, that it would be to the advantage of himself and the
kingdom, if they could transfer the said prelate to the arch-
bishopric. He therefore requested of the monks, that they,
together with his clerks whom he would send to the convent,
would set forth this his request to them, and promised to
confer many honours on the convent if they should determine
to listen to him. The monks on their return home related the
commands of the king to the other inmates of the convent,
and they assembled thereupon in the chapter-house, and in
order to conciliate the king, whom they had offended, they
there unanimously elected John bishop of Norwich, and at
once sent some monks of the convent to the archbishop elect,
who was at York managing the king's business, to tell him to
come with all haste to Canterbury. The messengers hastened
on the prescribed journey, and found the said bishop at
Nottingham ; and he at once settled the king's business and
hurried to the southern provinces, where he met with the
king, and they set out together for Canterbury. On the
following day, a great multitude assembled in the metropolitan
church, and the prior of Canterbury, in the king's presence,
openly announced to all the election of John de Grai bishop
of Norwich ; then the monks taking him up carried him to
the great altar chanting the " Te Deum," and finally placed
him in the archiepiscopal chair. After all this ceremony the
king put the archbishop elect into possession of all property
belonging to the archbishopric, and all returned to their
homes ; and thus in this election a new kind of error was
made, worse than the former one, as the result plainly shows.

218 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1206-

Of the controversy between the suffragan bishops of the church of Canter-
bury and the monks of the same place, about the choice of an archbishop.

a.d. 1206. King John kept Christmas at Oxford; and
about the same time sent some monks of the church of
Canterbury, amongst whom, in particular, was Master Elias
de Brantfield, to the court of Rome, and supplied them with
large presents from the treasury in order to obtain from our
lord the pope the confirmation of the election of John bishop
of Norwich. At the same time, too, the suffragan bishops of
the church of Canterbury sent agents to Rome to lay a
serious complaint before our lord the pope, namely, that the
monks of Canterbury had audaciously presumed to make
election of an archbishop without them, although they ought,
by common right and ancient custom, to have been present
at the election as well as the monks ; the said agents also set
forth, decrees and examples on the foregoing matters, bring-
ing some witnesses, and producing testimonials, whereby they
endeavoured to show that they, the said suffragans, had
chosen three metropolitans conjointly with the monks. The
monks, on the contrary, asserted, that, by a special privilege
of the Roman pontiffs, and by a proved and old custom, they
had been accustomed to make elections without the bishops,
and promised to prove this by fitting witnesses. After the
allegations on both sides had been heard, and the witnesses
admitted and carefully examined, the 21st of December was
fixed on by our lord the pope for declaring judgment between
the parties, and that they were then to come and hear what
the law appointed.

How king John crossed over to Poictou and took forcible possession of the

castle of Montauban.

At Whitsuntide of this same year king John assembled a
large army at Portsmouth, and taking ship on the 25th of
June, he landed on the 9th of July at Rochelle ; on hearing
which the inhabitants of those provinces were delighted, and,
instantly flying to the king, gave him sure promises of money
and assistance. After this then he marched forward with
more confidence, and subdued a great portion of that territory.
At length he arrived at the noble castle of Montauban, in
which all the warlike nobles of that district, and especially
his own enemies were shut up, and immediately disposed his

A.D. 1206.] TAKING OF MONTAUBAN CASTLE. 219

engines of war around it. And when, after fifteen days, they
had destroyed a great part of the castle by the incessant
assaults of their petrarise, and the missiles from their
balistas and slings, the English soldiers, who were greatly
renowned in that kind of warfare, scaled the walls and
exchanged mortal blows with their enemies. After some
time the English prevailed, and the garrison failing, the well-
fortified castle of Montauban was taken, a castle which at
one time Charlemagne could not subdue after a seven years'
siege ; and the names of the nobles and illustrious men who
were taken in the castle with their horses, arms, and spoils
innumerable, the English king afterwards mentioned by
letter to the justiciaries, bishops, and other nobles of England.
This castle was taken on the day of St. Peter's " ad vincula."
(August 1.)

Of the legateship of John of Ferentino, to England.

In the same year John of Ferentino, legate of the apostolic
see, came into England, and travelling through it collected
large sums of money, and at length, on the day after St. Luke
the evangelist, he held a council at Reading ; after
which the hasty traveller packed up his baggage and started
for the sea coast, where he bade farewell to England. About
this time, too, some religious men of foreign parts anxiously
interfered to make peace between the kings, and on All
Saints' day they obtained from them a promise to keep a
truce for two years. King John therefore returned to
England, and landed at Portsmouth on the 12th of December.
On the eve of Ascension day in this same year William
bishop of Lincoln departed this life ; and in this year Jocelyn
of Wells, who had been elected bishop of Bath by the agency
of William bishop of London, received the blessing of con-
secration.

The definitive sentence of pope Innocent with regard to the monks of the
church of Canterbury,

About that time pope Innocent sent his definitive sentence
to the suffragan bishops of the church of Canterbury, to this
effect : " The authority of the church and an approved custom
hands it down to us that the greater questions in church
matters are to be referred to the apostolic see. Since there-
fore a controversy has arisen between you and our beloved

220 IXGER OF WENDOVER. [_A.D. 1206.

sons, the prior and monks of the church of Canterbury, as to
the right of choosing the archbishop ; you setting forth that,
not only by common right but also by old custom, you ought
to make the election of the archbishop conjointly with them ;
and they, on the contrary, answering that, by a common
light and special privilege, as also by an old and approved
custom, they ought to elect the archbishop of Canterbury
without you ; on the cause of dispute being lawfully argued
by proper agents before us, we have carefully heard what both
parties have set forth in our presence. Your party has set forth
both decrees and examples, bringing forward also some wit-
nesses, and showing testimonials by which you attempted to
prove that you had chosen three metropolitans conjointly with
them ; whilst it was proved by letters and evidence that you in
another place and at another time had not made elections of
this kind without them. But the witnesses brought forward
on the part of the monks have legitimately proved that the
prior and convent of the church of Canterbury have, from
times long past up to this time, made elections of bishops in
their chapter-house without you, and have obtained con-
firmation of those elections from the apostolic see. By us
and our predecessors it is laid down in the book of our
privileges, that, at the decease of an archbishop of Canter-
bury, no one should be appointed to his place by any fraud
or violence, but one whom the majority of the monks of
sound judgment shall in the Lord according to the
provisions of the holy canons determine to elect. There-
fore, having heard, and clearly understanding all that has
been alleged to us, since it plainly appears by your own
assertions, that you ought not to make an election without
them, and when the monks are excluded from it your election
is not valid ; and also that an election of the monks made
without you, inasmuch as it was worthy of being confirmed
by the apostolic see, was valid, and since in either case it
must of necessity be confirmed, we, by the common advice of
our brethren, for ever impose silence on you as to the right
of choosing an archbishop, and by this our definitive decree
absolve the monks of Canterbury from all attack and annoy-
ance on the part of you and your successors ; and also by our
apostolic authority, decree that the monks of the church of
Canterbury and their successors shall in future elect an arch-

A.D. 1206\] VISION OF PURGATORY. 221

bishop without you, Given at St. Peter's, at Rome, this
21st day of December, in the ninth year of our pontificate.."

Of a vision of purgatory, the punishment of the wicked, and the glory of

the blessed.

In this year, a certain man of simple habits, and hospitable
as far as his humble means would allow, who lived in a town
called Tunsted,* in the bishopric of London, was employed,
after the hour of evening prayer, on the eve of the day of
the apostles St. Simon and St. Jude, in draining his field,
which he had sown that day, when, raising his eyes, he saw a
man hastening to him from a distance ; after looking at him,
he began the Lord's prayer, when the stranger stepping up
to him, asked him to finish his prayer and speak to him :
and, accordingly, as soon as his prayer was ended, they ex-
changed mutual greetings. After this, the man who had
come to him asked him where, amongst the neighbours, he
could meet with a suitable lodging for that night ; but when
the questioned person extolled the great hospitality of his
neighbours, the inquirer found fault with the hospitality of
some who were named. The labourer then understanding
that the stranger was acquainted with his neighbours, eagerly
asked him to accept of a lodging with him, on which the
stranger said to him, " Your wife has already received two
poor women to lodge with her, and I too will turn to your
house for to-night, in order that I may lead you to your
lord, namely saint James, to whom thou hast even now
devoutly prayed ; for I am Julian the entertainer, and have
been sent on your behalf, to disclose to you by divine means
certain things which are hidden from men in the flesh ;
therefore, proceed to your house, and endeavour to prepare
yourself for a journey." After these words, the man who
was conversing with him, disappeared from the spot. But
Turchill, for that was the labourer's name, hurried home,
washed his head and feet, and found the two women enter-
tained there, as St. Julian had foretold. Afterwards he
threw himself on a bed which he had prepared in his house,
apart from his wife, for the sake of continence, and slept
outside the room ; and as soon as all the members of the
household were asleep, St. Julian woke the man, and said,

* Perhaps " Twinsted " in Essex.

222 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1206.

'f Here I am, as I promised ; it is time for us to be going.
Let your body rest on the bed, it is only your spirit which
is to go with me ; and, that your body may not appear to be
dead, I will inspire into you the breath of life." In this
way they both left the house, St. Julian leading the way, and
Turchill following.

How the man being released from the body was taken to a certain church,
where there was an assemblage of spirits.

After they had travelled to the middle of the world,
as the man's guide said it was, towards the east, they
entered a church of wonderful structure, the roof of which was
supported only by three pillars. The church itself was
large and spacious, but without partitions, arched all round
like a monk's cloister ; but on the northern side there was a
wall not more than six feet high, which was joined to the
church which rested on the three pillars. In the middle of
the church there was a large baptistery, from which there
arose a large flame, not burning, yet unceasingly illuminating
the whole of the church and the places around, like a
meridian sun ; this brightness proceeded, as he was told by
St. Julian, from the decimation of the just. When they
entered the hall, St. James met them, wearing a priest's
mitre, and seeing the pi]grim for whom he had sent, ordered
St. Julian and St. Domninus, who were the guardians of the
place, to show to his pilgrim the penal places of the wicked
as well as the mansions of the just, and after speaking thus,
he passed on. Then St. Julian informed his companion that
this church was the place which received the souls of all those
who had lately died, that there might be assigned to them
the abodes and places, as well of condemnation as of salva-
tion by the atonements of purgatory, which were destined by
God for them. That place, through the intercession of the
glorious virgin Mary, was mercifully designed that all
spirits which were born again in Christ, might, as soon as
they left the body, be there assembled free from the attacks
of devils, and receive judgment according to their works. In
this church, then, which was called the " Congregation of
spirits," I saw many spirits of the just, white all over, and
with the faces of youth. After being taken beyond the
northern wall, I saw a great number of spirits, standing near

A.D. 1206.] TORMENTS OF PURGATORY. 223

the wall marked with black and white spots, some of whom
had a greater show of white than black, and others the re-
verse; but those who were of a whiter colour remained
nearer to the wall, and those who were farthest off had no
appearance of whiteness about them, and appeared deformed
in every part.

Of the unjust decimators.

Near the wall was the entrance to the pit of hell, which
incessantly exhaled a smoke of a most foul stench, through
the surrounding caverns, in the faces of those who stood by,
and this smoke came forth from the tithes unjustly detained,
and the crops unjustly tithed ; and the stink inflicted in-
comparable agony on those who were guilty of this crime.
The man, therefore, after twice smelling this same stink, was
so oppressed by it that he was compelled to cough twice, and,
as those who stood round his body declared, his body at the
same time coughed twice. St. Julian then said to him, " It
appears that you have not duly tithed your crop, and there-
fore have smelled this stench." On his pleading his poverty
as an excuse, the saint told him that his field would produce
a more abundant crop if he paid his tithes justly ; and
the holy man also told him to confess this crime in the
church openly to all, and to seek absolution from the priest.

Of the fire, lake, and bridge of purgatory, and of a church situated on

the mount of joy.

On the eastern side of this said church was a very large
purgatorial fire, placed between two walls ; one of these
walls rose on the north side, and the other on the south, and
they were separated by a large space, which extended a
long way in width on the eastern side, to a very large lake,
in which were immersed the souls of those who were passing
through the purgatorial fire ; and the water of the lake was
incomparably salt and cold, as was afterwards proved to the
man. Over this lake was placed a large bridge, planted all
over with thorns and stakes, over which every one was
obliged to pass before he could arrive at the mount of joy ;
and on this mountain was built a large church, of wonder-
ful structure, which was large enough, as it appeared to the
man, to contain all the inhabitants of the world. Then the

224 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D, 1206.

blessed Julian conducted him altogether unhurt through Jhe
aforesaid fire, to the above-mentioned lake, and the two then
walked together on the road which led from the church
through the midst of the flames ; no wood material supplied
fuel to this said fire, but a sort of flame rising, like what is
seen in a fiercely-heated oven, was diffused over the whole of
that space, and consumed the black and spotted spirits for a
shorter or a longer period, according to the degrees of their
crimes. And the spirits which had got out of the fire de-
scended into that cold salt lake at the command of the
blessed Nicholas, who presided over that purgatory ; and
some of these were immersed over head, some up to the
neck, some to the chest and arms, others up to the navel,
some up to the knees, and others scarcely up to the hollow of
their feet. After the lake, there remained the passing of
the bridge, which is on the western side of the church, in
front of the same; some of the spirits passed over this
bridge very tediously and slowly, others more easily and
quicker, and some passed over at will and fast, experiencing
no delay or trouble in crossing ; for some went through the
lake so slowly that they stayed in it many years ; and those
who were not assisted by any special masses, or who had not
in their life-time endeavoured to redeem their sins by works
of charity towards the poor, those I say, on reaching the
before-mentioned bridge, and desiring to cross over to their
destined place of rest, walked painfully with naked feet
amidst the sharp stakes and thorns which were set on the
bridge; and when they were no longer able to endure the
extreme agony of the pain, they placed their hands on the
stakes to support themselves from falling, and their hands
being directly pierced through, they, in the violence of their
pain and suffering, rolled on their belly and all parts of their
bodies upon the stakes, until by degrees they grovelled along
to the further end of the bridge, dreadfully bloody, and
pierced all over; but when they reached the hall of the
aforesaid church, they there obtained a happy entrance, and
recollected little of their vehement tortures.

How St. Michael and the apostles Peter and Paul apportioned the spirits
to the places ordained for them by God,

After then, having beheld all these things, St. Julian and

A.D. 1206.] WEIGHING OF GOOD AND EVIL. 225

the man returned through the midst of the flame to the
church of St. Mary, and there stopped with the white spirits
which had lately arrived ; and these spirits were sprinkled
with holy water by St. James and St. Domninus, in order
that they might become whiter. Here at the very first day-
light of the sabbath, came St. Michael the archangel and the
apostles Peter and Paul, to allot to the spirits assembled
inside and outside the church the places ordained for them
by God according to their deserts ; for St. Michael gave to
all the white spirits a safe passage through the midst of the
flames of purgatory, and through the other places of punish-
ment to the entrance of the large church which was built on
the mount of joy, with a door on the western side always
open ; but the spirits stained with black and white spots,
which were lying outside the hall on the northern side, were,
without any discussion as to their works, brought by St>
Peter through a door on the eastern side into the purgatorial
fire, that they might be cleansed by that raging flame of the
stains of their sins.

Of the weighing of good and evil.

The blessed Paul, too, sat inside the church at the end of
the northern wall: and outside the wall, opposite to the
apostle, sat the devil with his satellites ; and a flame- vomiting
aperture, which was the mouth of the pit of hell, burst out
close to the feet of the devil. On the wall between the
apostle and the devil was fixed a scale hanging on an equal
balance, the middle part of which hung without in front of
the devil ; and the apostle had two weights, a greater and a
lesser one, shining like gold, and the devil also had two,
sooty and dark. Then the black spirits approached from
all directions with great fear and trembling, one after the
other, each to try in the scale the weight of their deeds, good
or evil ; for the aforesaid weights estimated the deeds of
each of the spirits according to the good or evil they had
done. When, therefore, the balance inclined itself towards the
apostle, he took that spirit and brought it through the eastern
door which was joined to the church, into the purifying fire,
there to expiate its offences ; but when the balance inclined
and preponderated towards the devil, he and his satellites
at once hurried' away that spirit, wailing and cursing the

VOL. II. Q

225

ROGER OF WENDOVER.

[A.D. 1206.

father and mother for having begot it, to eternal torment, and,
amidst great grinning, cast it into the deep and fiery furnace,
which was at the feet of the devil who was weighing. Of
the weighing of good and evil in this way, mention is often
made in the writings of the holy fathers.

Of a certain spirit which the devil had changed into the form of a horse.

On the sabbath day near the hour of evening, whilst St.
Domninus and St. Julian were in the aforesaid church, there
came from the northern part a certain devil riding with
headlong speed a black horse, and urging him through the
many turnings of the place amidst much noise and laughter ;
and many of the evil spirits went forth to meet it, dancing
about and grinning at one another over the prey which was
brought to them. St. Domninus then commanded the devil,
who was riding, to come directly to him and tell him whose
spirit it was that he had brought ; but the devil dissembling
for a long time, for the great delight which he experienced over
the wretched spirit, the saint immediately snatched up a whip
and severely lashed the devil, on which he followed the saint
to the northern wall, where stood the scale of the spirits.
The saint then asked the devil whose spirit it was that he
was tormenting so by riding ; to which the latter replied that
" it was one of the nobles of the kingdom of England, who had
died on the preceding night without confession and without
partaking of the body of the Lord ; and, amongst the other
faults which he had committed, his principal crime was his
cruelty towards his own men, many of whom he had brought to
extreme want, which he had chiefly done at the instigation of
his wife, who always incited him to deeds of cruelty. I have
transformed him into a horse, since we are allowed to turn
the spirits of the condemned into whatever form we please ;
and I should have already descended with him into hell, and
should be consigning him to eternal punishment, if it were
not that Sunday night is at hand, when it is our duty to de-
sist from our theatrical sports, and to inflict more severe
tortures on wretched spirits." After he had spoken these
words, he directed his look on the man, and said to the saint,

"Who is that

rustic standing

with

you

'" To which the
saint answered, " Do you not know him ?" The demon then
said, " I have seen him at the church of Tidstude in Essex,

A.D. 1206.] SPORTS OF DEVILS. 227

on the feast of its dedication." The saint then asked, " In
what dress did you enter the church?" He replied, " In the
dress of a woman ; but when I had advanced to the font,
meaning to enter the chancel, the deacon met me with the
sprinkler of holy water, and sprinkling me with it, he put
me to flight so precipitately, that I uttered a cry, and leaped
from the church as far as a field two furlongs distant." The
man and several others also of the parishioners bore witness to
this same circumstance, declaring that they had heard that
cry, and were entirely ignorant of the cause of it.

Of the theatrical sports of the devils.

After this, St. Domninus said to the devil, " We wish to
go with you to see your sports." The devil answered, " If
you wish to go with me, do not bring this labourer with you,
for he would on his return amongst his fellow mortals disclose
our acts and secret kinds of punishment to the living, and
would reclaim many from serving us." The saint said to
him, " Make haste and go forward, I and St. Julian will
follow you." The demon therefore went on in advance and
the saints followed him, bringing the man with them by
stealth. They then proceeded to a northern region, as if they
were going up a mountain ; and behold, after descending the
mountain, there was a very large and dark-looking house
surrounded by old walls, and in it there were a great many lanes
(platece) as it were, filled all around with innumerable heated
iron seats. These seats were constructed with iron hoops glow-
ing white with heat, and with nails driven in them in every
part, above and below, right and left, and in them there sat
beings of divers conditions and sexes ; these were pierced by
the glowing nails all over their bodies, and were bound on
all sides with fiery hoops. There was such a number of
those seats, and such a multitude of people sitting in them,
that no tongue would be able to reckon them. All around
these courts were black iron walls, and near these walls
were other seats, in which the devils sat in a circle, as if at a
pleasant spectacle, grinning at each other over the tortures
of the wretched beings, and recapitulating to them their
former crimes. Near the entrance of this detestable scene,
on the descent of the mountains, as we have said, there was*
a wall five feet high, from which could plainly be seen what-

Q2

228 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1206.

ever was done in that place of punishment. Near this wall,
then, the before-mentioned saints stood outside looking on at
wliat the wretched beings inside were enduring, and the man
lying concealed between them plainly saw all that was going
on inside.

Of a proud man, and his tortures.

When the servants of hell were all seated at this shameful
scene, the chief of that wicked troop said to his satellites, "Let
the proud man be violently dragged from his seat, and let
him sport before us." After he had been dragged from his
seat and clothed in a black garment, he, in the presence of
the devils who applauded him in turn imitated all the
gestures of a man proud beyond measure ; he stretched his
neck, elevated his face, cast up his eyes, with the brows
arched, imperiously thundered forth lofty words, shrugged
his shoulders, and scarcely could he bear his arms for
pride : his eyes glowed, he assumed a threatening look,
rising on tiptoe, he stood with crossed legs, expanded his
chest, stretched his neck, glowed in his face, showed signs
of anger in his fiery eyes, and striking his nose with his
linger, gave expression of great threats ; and thus swelling
with inward pride, he afforded ready subject of laughter to
the inhuman spirits. And whilst he was boasting about his
dress, and was fastening gloves by sewing, his garments on
a sudden were turned to fire, which consumed the entire
body of the wretched being ; lastly, the devils, glowing with
anger, tore the wretch limb from limb with prongs and fiery
iron hooks. But one of them put fat with pitch and other
greasy substances in a glowing pan, and fried each limb as it
was torn away with that boiling grease : and each time the
devil sprinkled them with the grease, the limbs sent forth a
hissing, like what is caused by pouring cold water on boiling
blood ; and after his limbs had been thus fried, they were
joined together again, and that proud man returned to his
former shape. Next, there approached to the wretched man
the hammerers of hell, with hammers and three red hot iron
bars nailed together in triple order, and they then applied
two bars at the back part of his body, to the right and the
left, and cruelly drove the hot nails into him with their
hammers ; these two bars, beginning at his feet, were brought
up his legs and thighs to his shoulders, and were then bent

A.D. 1206.] OF A PRIEST AND SOLDIER. 229

around his neck ; the third bar, beginning at his middle,
passed up his belly, and reached to the top of his head.
After this wretch had been tortured for a length of time in
the manner above described, he was mercilessly thrust back
into his former seat, and when placed there, he was tormented
in all parts by the burning nails, and by having his five
fingers stretched : and after he had been thus taken from this
place of punishment, he was placed in the abode which he
had made for himself when living, to await further tortures.

Of a certain priest.

A priest was next dragged forth with violence from his
fiery seat to the sport, and placed before these inhuman
goblins by the servants of sin, who forthwith, after cutting
his throat in the middle, pulled out his tongue, and cut it off
at the root. This priest had not, when he could, repaid the
people entrusted to his care for their temporal goods which
he had taken from them, by holy exhortation, nor by an
example of good works, and had not given them the support
of prayers or of masses. Afterwards, as we have related of
the proud man, they tore him limb from limb, and again
restoring him entire, they placed him in a chair of torture.

Of a certain soldier.

After him was brought forward a certain soldier, who had
spent his life in slaying harmless people, in tournaments, and
robberies. He sat, accoutred with all his weapons of war,
on a black horse, which, when urged on by the spur, breathed
forth a pitchy flame, with stench and smoke, to the torture
of its rider. The saddle of the horse was pierced all over
with long fiery nails ; the armour and helmet, the shield and
boots covered with flame, severely burdened the rider by
their weight, and at the same time consumed him to the very
marrow with no less torture. After he had, in imitation of
his former custom in war, urged his horse to headlong speed,
and shaken his spear against the devils who met him and
derided him, he was by them dismounted and torn piecemeal,
and his limbs were fried in the execrable liquid above-
mentioned ; and after having been fried, they were again
joined together in the same way as with those who had

230 SOGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1206.

come before, and were fastened by three bars, and when
thus restored he was violently thrust back into his own seat.

Of a certain pleader.

After the soldier, a man well-skilled in worldly law was
dragged forth into the midst with great torture, which he
had brought on himself by a long course of evil living, and
hy accepting presents for perverting j udgment. This man
was well known throughout the English territories amongst
the higher ranks, but had closed his life miserably in the
year in which this vision was seen; for, dying suddenly
without executing any will, all the wealth that he had
amassed by his rapacious greediness, was entirely alienated
from him, and spent by strangers to him. He had been
accustomed to sit in the king's exchequer, where he had
oftentimes received presents from both of the litigating
parties. He, too, being dragged forth to the sport, in the
presence of the wicked spirits, was compelled by the insult-
ing goblins to imitate the actions of his former life ; for,
turning himself at one time to the right, at another to the
left, he was teaching one party in setting forth a cause, and
another in replying to it ; and whilst doing this, he did not
refrain from accepting presents, but received money at one
time from one party, at another from the other, and after
counting it, put it in his pockets. After the demons had for
a length of time looked on at the gestures of the wretched
man, the money suddenly becoming hot, burned the wretch
in a pitiable manner, and he was forced to put in his mouth
the pieces of money, burning as they were, and afterwards to
swallow them : after swallowing them, two demons came to
him with an iron cart-wheel, studded all round with spikes
and nails, and, placing it on the back of the sinner, they
whirled it round, tearing away his whole back in its quick
and burning revolutions ; and compelled him to vomit forth
the moneys which he had swallowed with great agony, in still
greater torture ; and after he had vomited them up, the
demon ordered him to collect them again, that he might in
the same way again be fed with them ; afterwards, the
servants of hell becoming enraged, exhausted on him all the
tortures which have been mentioned above. The wife of
this man was sitting in one of the fiery spiked seats, because

A.D. 1206. J OF SLANDERERS, THIEVES, ETC. 231

she had been excommunicated in several churches about a
ring, which she had unknowingly put in her casket, and
declared to have been stolen ; from which decree she had
never been absolved, having been prevented by sudden
death.

Of an adulterer and adulteress.

There was now brought into the sight of the furious
demons art adulterer, together with an adulteress, united
together in foul contact, and they repeated in the presence of
all, their disgraceful venereal motions and immodest gestures,
to the confusion of themselves and amid the cursing of the
demons : then, as if smitten with frenzy, they began to tear
one another, changing the outward love, which they before
seemed to entertain towards one another, into cruelty and
hatred : their limbs were then torn in pieces by the furious
crowd around them, and they suffered the same punishment
as those who had preceded them. All the fornicators, also,
who were present, were tormented in like manner, and the
intensity of their sufferings was so great that the pen of the
writer is inadequate to pourtray them.

Of slanderers.

Amongst the other wretched beings, two from a company
of slanderers were brought into the midst, who, with continual
distortions, gaped their mouths open to their ears, and turning
their faces on each other, they gazed at each other with
grim eyes ; in the mouths of both of them were put the
ends of a kind of burning spear, eating and gnawing which
with distorted months, they quickly reached the middle of
the spear, drawing close to each other, and in this manner
they tore each other, and stained their whole faces with
blood.

Of thieves and incendiaries.

Amongst others there were brought forth thieves, incen-
diaries, and violators of religious places, and these were by
the servants of hell placed on wheels of red hot iron, set
with spikes and nails, which from their excessive heat sent
forth a constant shower of sparks of fire ; on these the
wretches were whirled round, and endured horrific tortures.

Of the tradesmen.

Then there came to the spot a tradesman with false scales

232 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- ^06.

and weights, and also those who stretch the new cloths in
their shops to such a degree in length and breadth, that the
threads are broken, and a hole is made, and afterwards,
cunningly stitching up the holes, sell these same cloths in
dark places ; these were cruelly torn from their seats, and
compelled to repeat the motions of their former sins, to their
disgrace, and as an increase of their punishments ; and
afterwards they were tortured by devils, in the way we
have ^related of those before them. Besides this the man
saw, near the entrance of the lower hell, four courts, as it
were ; the first of which contained innumerable furnaces and
large wide caldrons filled to the brim with burning pitch
and other melted substances ; and in each of these the spirits
were heaped together boiling fiercely, and their heads, like
those of black fishes, were, from the violence of the boiling,
at one time forced upwards out of the liquid, and at another
times fell downwards. The second court in like manner
contained caldrons, but filled with snow and cold ice, in
which the spirits were tortured by the dreadful cold in
intolerable agony. The caldrons in the third court were
filled with boiling sulphureous water and other things,
which emitted a stench mixed with a foul smoke, in which
the spirits who died in the foulness of their lusts were par-
ticularly tormented. The fourth court contained caldrons
full of a very black salt water, .the bitter saltness of which
would immediately take the bark off any kind of wood
thrown into it. In these caldrons a multitude of sinners,
murderers, thieves, robbers, sorceresses, and rich men, who
by unjust exactions oppressed their fellow men, were in-
cessantly boiling ; and the servants of iniquity, standing
all round them, pressed them together inside that they might
not escape the heat of the molten liquid. Those who had
been boiling for seven days in this burning grease, were on
the eighth day plunged into the dreadful cold which was in
the second court, whilst those on the other hand who had
been tortured in the cold, were put into the boiling liquor ;
in the same way those, who had been boiling in the salt
water were afterwards tortured in the stench; and they
always observed these changes every eight days.

A.D. 1206.] THE MOUNT OF JOY. 233

Of the church situated on the mount of joy, and of the intercession made

for the spirits.

After having seen these things, when the morn of the
Lord's day was just beginning to appear, the aforesaid saints,
with the man whom they were conducting, proceeded to the
mount of joy through the purifying fire, and the lake, and
over the spiked bridge, until they arrived at a hall on the
western side of the before-mentioned temple, which was
situated on the mount ; and there was a handsome and large
gate always open, through which the spirits, which had been
made entirely white, were brought by St. Michael ; and in
this hall were assembled all the purified spirits praying with
all the eagerness of expectation for a happy admission into
the place. In the southern quarter outside the temple the
man beheld an infinite number of spirits, all of which, with
their faces turned to the church, were praying for the assist-
ance of their friends who were alive, by which means they
might deserve to gain admission into that church, and the
more especial assistance they received, the nearer they ap-
proached to the church. In this place he recognised many
of his acquaintances, and also all those of whom he had
the least knowledge in life. And St. Michael informed the
• man about all these spirits, for how many masses each spirit
could be set free and be permitted to enter the temple. The
spirits too which were waiting for admission there suffered
no punishment, unless they were waiting for any special
assistance from their friends ; nevertheless, all the spirits
which stood there daily approach the entrance to that church
by the general assistance of the whole church.

Of the various stages of the said church.

This man, being brought into the temple by St. Michael,
there saw many whom he had seen in life of both sexes in
white apparel, who were climbing up to the temple and en-
joying great felicity ; and the further the spirits climbed up
the steps of the temple, the more white and shining they
became. In that great church were to be seen many most
beautiful mansions, in which dwelt the spirits of the just,
whiter than snow, and whose faces and crowns glittered like
golden light. At certain hours of each day they hear songs
from heaven, as if all kinds of music were sounding in har-

234 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1206.

monious melody, and this so soothes and refreshes all the
inhabitants of the temple by its agreeable softness, as if they
were regaled with all kinds of dainty meats ; but the spirits
which stood in the halls outside did not hear anything of this
heavenly song. In this place too several of the saints had
abodes of their own, where they receive with joy those who
especially serve themselves next to the Lord in any thing,
that they might afterwards present them in the sight of God.

Of Paradise, and Adam our first parent.

After this they turned aside to the eastern part of the
aforesaid temple, and came to a most pleasant place, beauti-
ful in the variety of its herbs and flowers, and filled with the
sweet smell of herbs and trees ; there the man beheld a
very clear spring, which sent forth four streams of different
coloured water; over this fountain there was a beautiful
tree of wonderful size and immense height, which abounded
in all kinds of fruits and in the sweet smell of spices.
Under this tree near the fountain there reposed a man of
comely form and gigantic body, who was clothed from
his feet to his breast in a garment of various colours and of
wondrously beautiful texture ; this man seemed to be smiling
in one eye, and weeping from the other. " This," said
St. Michael, " is the first parent of the human race, Adam,
and by the eye which is smiling, he indicates the joy which
he feels in the glorification of his children who are to be
saved, and by the other eye which is weeping, he expresses
the sorrow he feels for the punishment and just judgment of
God on his children who are to be condemned. The gar-
ment with which he is covered, though not entirely, is the
robe of immortality and the garment of glory, of which he
was deprived on his first transgression ; for from the time of
Abel, his just son, he began to regain this garment, and con-,
tinues to do so throughout the whole succession of his
righteous children, and as the chosen ones shine forth in
their different virtues, so this garment is dyed with its
various colours ; and when the number of his elect children
shall be completed, then Adam will be entirely clothed in the
robe of immortality and glory, and in this way the world will
come to an end."

A.D. 1206.] RETUKN OF THE MAN TO HIS BODY. 235

Hoiu the man returned to his body.
After proceeding a little way from this place they came to
a most beautiful gate adorned with jewels and precious
stones ; and the wall round it shone as if it were of gold.
As soon as they had entered the gate, there appeared a kind
of golden temple, much more magnificent than the former
in all its beauty, in its pleasant sweetness, and in the splendour
of its glittering light, so that the places which they had seen
before appeared not at all pleasant in comparison with that
place ; and after they had gone into this temple, he beheld on
one side a kind of chapel, refulgent with wonderful orna-
ments, in which there sat three virgins shining in indescri-
bable beauty ; these, as the archangel informed him, were St.
Catherine, St. Margaret, and St. Osith. Whilst he was thus
admiringly contemplating their beauty, St. Michael said to
St. Julian, " Restore this man directly to his body, for un-
less he is quickly taken back to it, the cold water which
the bystanders are throwing in his face will altogether
suffocate him;" and directly after these words had been
spoken, the man, not knowing how, was brought back to his
body and sat up in his bed. He had been lying on his bed,
as it were senseless, for two days and, nights, that is, from
the hour of evening of the sixth day of the week, till the
evening of the Sunday following, oppressed as if with
a heavy sleep. As soon as morning came he hastened
to the church, and, after the performance of mass, the priest,
with others of the parishioners, who had seen him as it were
lifeless a short time before, besought him to inform them of
what had been revealed to him ; he however in his great
simplicity, hesitated to relate his vision, until on the follow-
ing night St. Julian appeared to him giving him orders to
reveal all that he had seen, because, he said, that he had
been taken from his body for the purpose of making public
all he had heard. In obedience to the commands of the
saint, he, on All Saints' day, and at times afterwards, related
his vision plainly and openly in the English tongue, and all
who heard him wondered at the unusual gift of speech of a
man who had formerly, from his great simplicity, appeared
clownish and unable to speak; and by his continual nar-
ration of the vision he had seen, he moved many to tears and
bitter lamentations.

236 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1207.

How Geoffrey archbishop of York went into exile.

A. d. 1 207. King John kept Christmas at Winchester in
the company of the nobles of the kingdom. Afterwards, at
the purification of the blessed Mary, he levied a tax through-
out England of the thirteenth part of all moveable and other
goods, on the laity as well as the ecclesiastics and prelates,
which caused great murmuring amongst all, though they
dared not gainsay it. Geoffrey archbishop of York was the
only one who did not consent to it ; he openly spoke against
it, and departed from England privily ; and at his departure he
anathematized especially all those who were the agents of this
robbery in the archbishopric of York, and in general against
all the invaders of the church or the church property. In this
same year, on the 27th of February, about midnight, a sud-
den and violent storm of wind arose, which destroyed build-
ings, tore down trees, and, being attended by immense
falls of snow, caused destruction to flocks and herds of sheep
and cattle. In this same year the emperor Otho came to
England and had an interview with his uncle, after which,
and receiving five thousand marks of silver from the latter,
he returned to his own kingdom.

About this time there sprang up, under the auspices of
pope Innocent, a sect of preachers called Minorites, who
filled the earth, dwelling in cities and towns by tens and
sevens, possessing no property at all, living according to the
gospel, making a show of the greatest poverty, walking witli
naked feet, and setting a great example of humility to all
classes. On Sundays and feast days they went forth from
their habitations preaching the word of the gospel in the
parish churches, eating and drinking whatever they found
amongst them to whom they preached ; and they were the
more remarkable for their regard to the business of heaven,
the more they proved themselves unconnected with the
matters of this life, and with the pleasures of the flesh. No
sort of food in their possession was kept for the morrow's
use, that their poverty of spirit which reigned in their
minds, might show itself to all in their dress and actionst

The elections of the bishop of Norwich, and the sub-prior of Canterbury

annulled.

About this time the monks of the church of Canterbury

A.D. 1207.] ELECTIONS ANNULLED. 237

appeared before our lord the pope, to plead a disgraceful
dispute which liad arisen between themselves ; for a certain
part of them, by authenticated letters of the convent, pre-
sented Reginald, sub-prior of Canterbury, as they had often
done, to be archbishop-elect, and earnestly required the con-
firmation of his election ; the other portion of the same
monks had, by letters alike authentic, presented John bishop
of Norwich, showing by many arguments that the election of
the sub-prior was null, not only because it had been made
by night, and without the usual ceremonies, and without the
consent of the king, but also because it had not been made
by the older and wiser part of the convent ; and thus setting
forth these reasons, they asked that that election should be
confirmed, which was made before fitting witnesses in open
day and by consent, and in presence of the king. When
this side of the question had been heard and plainly under-
stood, the pleader on the part of the sub-prior set forth that
the second election was null and void, inasmuch as, what-
ever might have been the nature of the first election, whether
just or unjust, that said first election ought to have been
annulled before the second was made; wherefore he firmly
demanded that the first election should be deemed valid. At
length, after long arguments on both sides, our lord the pope,
seeing that the parties could not agree in fixing on the same
person, and that both elections had been made irregularly,
and not according to the decrees of the holy canons, by the
advice of his cardinals, annulled both elections, laying the
apostolic interdict on the parties, and by definitive judgment
ordering, that neither of them should again aspire to the
honours of the archbishopric*

* M. Paris adds : — " In fine, this was the cause and fertile source of
error. The king had given his word by the mouth of twelve monks of
Canterbury that he would accept whomsoever they should elect. Now it
had been agreed between the king and them, on oath, that they would elect
no other person than John bishop of Norwich ; and to the same effect they
also had letters from the king. But the monks themselves, when they
knew that the election of the aforesaid John was displeasing to the pope,
were induced by the pope and cardinals to affirm that they could elect any
one they pleased, and to elect secretly, provided that they made choice of an
active man, and one who was a genuine Englishman, wherefore they chose,
with the pope's advice, master Stephen Langton, cardinal, and equal, if not
superior, to any in the court for probity and learning. From that time,
therefore, the pope would not desert him in his manifold tribulations."

238 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [_A.D. 1207.

Of the promotion and consecration of master Stephen Lang ton.

The aforesaid elections being thus annulled, our lord the
pope, being unwilling to permit the Lord's flock to be any
longer without the care of a pastor, persuaded the monks of
Canterbury, who had appeared before him as pleaders in the
matter of the church of Canterbury, to elect master Stephen
Langton, a cardinal priest, a man, as we have said, skilled in
literary science, and discreet and accomplished in his man-
ners ; and he asserted that the promotion of that person
would be of very great advantage, as well to the king him-
self, as to the whole English church. The monks, however,
in answer to this, declared that they were not allowed, ex-
cept by the king's consent and the choice of the canons, to
consent to any person's election, or to make any election
without them ; but the pope, as if taking the words out of
their mouths, said, " You may think that you have plenary
powers in the church of Canterbury, but it is not the custom
that the consent of princes is to be waited for concerning
elections made at the apostolic see; therefore, by virtue
of your obedience, and under penalty of our anathema, we
command you, who are so many and such, that you fully
suffice for making the election, to elect as archbishop the
man whom we give you as a father and as pastor of your
souls." The monks, dreading the sentence of excommuni-
cation, although reluctantly and with murmuring, gave their
consent ; the only one out of all of them who would not con-
sent being master Elias de Brantfield, who had come on the
part of the king and the bishop of Norwich, the rest of them
chanted the " Te Deum," and carried the said archbishop-
elect to the altar. He afterwards received consecration
from the pope aforesaid at the city of Viterbo, on the 1 7th
of June.*

* M. Paris adds : — t( About this time pope Innocent, desiring to gain
John over to favour his plans, and knowing that he was covetous and a
diligent seeker after costly jewels, sent the following letter to him with
such presents as may be seen in the same. ■ Pope Innocent the Third, to
John king of the English, greeting, &c. — Amongst the riches of the earth,
which the eye of man desires and longs for as more precious than others,
we believe that pure gold and precious stones hold the first place. Although
perhaps your royal highness may abound in these and other riches, how-
ever, as a sign of regard and favour, we send to your highness four gold
rings with divers jewels. We wish you particularly to remark in these, the

A.D. 1207.] STEPHEN LANGTON. 239

How pope Innocent sent letters to the king of England asking him to receive
Stephen Langton, already consecrated, as archbishop.

After this matter was settled, pope Innocent sent letters to
the king of England humbly and earnestly asking him to
receive with kindness master Stephen Langton, a cardinal
priest of St. Chrysogonus, who was canonically elected to the
archbishopric of Canterbury, and who tracing his origin from
his kingdom, had not only gained the title of master in secular
learning, but also that of doctor in theology ; and especially
since his life and morals surpassed the greatness of his learn-
ing, his character would be of no small advantage to the
king's soul as well as his temporal affairs. Having by
many arguments of this kind, alike gentle and persuasive,
done his best to induce the king to consent ; he, by letters
ordered the prior and monks of Canterbury, by virtue of
their obedience, to receive the above-named archbishop as
their pastor, and humbly to obey him in temporal as well as

shape, number, material, and colour, that you may pay regard to tne sig-
nification of them rather than to the gift. The rotundity signifies eternity,
which has neither beginning nor end. Therefore your royal discretion may
be led by the form of them, to pray for a passage from earthly to heavenly,
from temporal to eternal things. The number of four, which is a square
number, denotes the firmness of mind which is neither depressed in ad ver-
sity, nor elated in prosperity; which will then be fulfilled when it is based
on the four principal virtues, namely, — justice, fortitude, prudence, and
temperance. In the first place, understand justice, which is to be shown
in judgment ; in the second, the fortitude which is to be shown in adver-
sity ; in the third, prudence, which is to be observed in doubtful circum-
stances ; and in the fourth, moderation, which is not to be lost in prosperity.
By the gold, is denoted wisdom : for as gold excels all metals, so wisdom
excels all gifts, as the prophet bears witness, ( The spirit of wisdom shall
rest upon him,' &c. There is nothing which it is more necessary for a king
to possess. Wherefore the peaceful king Solomon asked wisdom only of
the Lord, that by those means he might know how to govern the people en-
trusted to him. Moreover the greenness of the emerald denotes faith ; the
clearness of the sapphire hope ; the redness of the pomegranate denotes
charity ; and the purity of the topaz good works, concerning which the
Lord says, ' Let your light shine,' &c. In the emerald, then, you have
what to believe ; in the sapphire, what to hope for ; in the pomegranate,
what to love ; and in the topaz, what to practise ; that you ascend from
one virtue to another till you see the Lord in Zion.' When these gifts
were brought into the king's presence, he at first was much pleased with
them ; but not many days afterwards the pure gold was turned to dross and
derision, the jewels into groans, and love into hatred, as the following nar-
rative will show."

240 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A D. 1207.

spiritual affairs. When at length the letters of our lord the
pope came to the notice of the English king, he was exceed-
ingly enraged, as much at the promotion of Stephen Langton
as at the annulling of the election of the bishop of Norwich,
and accused the monks of Canterbury of treachery ; for he
said that they had, to the prejudice of his rights, elected their
sub-prior without his permission, and afterwards, to palliate
their fault by giving satisfaction to him, they chose the
bishop of Norwich ; that they had also received money from
the treasury for their expenses in obtaining the confirmation
of the said bishop's election from the apostolic see; and to
complete their iniquity, they had there elected Stephen
Langton, his open enemy, and had obtained his consecration
to the archbishopric. On this account the said king, in the
fury of his anger and indignation, sent Fulk de Cantelu and
Henry de Cornhill, two most cruel and inhuman knights,
with armed attendants, to expel the monks of Canterbury, as
if they were guilty of a crime against his injured majesty
from England, or else to consign them to capital punish-
ment. These knights were not slow to obey the commands
of their lord, but set out for Canterbury, and, entering the
monastery with drawn swords, in the king's name fiercely
ordered the prior and monks to depart immediately from the
kingdom of England as traitors to the king's majesty; and
they affirmed with an oath that, if they (the monks) refused to
do this, they would themselves set fire to the monastery, and
the other offices adjoining it, and would burn all the monks
themselves with their buildings. The monks, acting un-
advisedly, departed without violence or laying hands on any
one ; all of them, except thirteen sick men who were lying in
the infirmary unable to walk, they forthwith crossed into
Flanders, and were honourably received at the abbey of
St. Bertinus and other monasteries on the continent. After-
wards, by the orders of the king, some monks of the order of
St. Augustine were placed in the church of Canterbury in
their stead to perform the duties there ; the before-mentioned
Fulk managing, and even distributing and confiscating, all
the property of the same monks, whilst their lands and those
of the archbishop remained uncultivated. The aforesaid
monks were driven from their monastery into exile on the
fourteenth of July.

A.D. 1207.] KING AXT> THE POPE AT VARIANCE. 241

How the king of England sent threatening letters to the pope.

After having thus banished the monks of Canterbury, king
John sent messengers with letters to the pope, in which he
expressly and as it were threateningly accused him of having
disgracefully annulled the election of the bishop of Norwich,
and of having consecrated, as archbishop of Canterbury,
Stephen Langton, a man altogether unknown to him, and
who had been for a long time familiar with his declared
enemies in the French kingdom ; and what redounded more
to the prejudice and subversion of the liberties which be-
longed to his crown, his consent was not duly asked by
the monks who ought to have done so, and he, the pope,
audaciously presumed to promote the same Stephen ; and he
asserted that he could not sufficiently wonder that he, the
pope, as well as the whole court of Rome, did not recollect of
how much consequence the regard of the English king had
been to the Roman see till now, inasmuch as more abundant
profits accrued to them from his kingdom of England than
from all other countries on this side of the Alps. He added,
moreover, that he would stand up for the rights of his crown,
if necessary, even to death, and declared immutably that he
could not be deterred from the election and promotion of the
bishop of Norwich, which he knew would be advantageous
to himself. Finally, he summed up the business by saying,
that if he were not attended to in the foregoing matters,
lie would stop the track by sea against all who were going to
Rome, that his territories might not be emptied of their
wealth, and he himself be thus rendered less able to drive his
enemies away from them ; and, as there were plenty of arch-
bishops, bishops, and other prelates of the church, as well in
England as in his other territories, who were well stored in
all kinds of learning if he wanted them, he would not beg
for justice or judgment from strangers out of his own do-
minions. When all this had been brought to the notice of
the pope by the king's messengers, that pontiff wrote in reply
as follows :

Answer of our lord the pope to the English king.

" Innocent bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his
well beloved son in Christ, the illustrious John, king of the
English, health, and the apostolic blessing. When we wrote

vol. n. K

242 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1207.

to you on the matter of the church of Canterbury, humbly
and carefully, and with gentle exhortations and requests,
you, if I may so speak, with all deference to your high-
ness, wrote in reply to us contumaciously and waywardly,
with threats and reproaches ; and whereas we defer to you
more than we ought, you show us less consideration than you
ought ; for if your devotion is very necessary to us, still our
regard is no less advantageous to you. And, although in
such a case we have never paid such honour to any prince
as we have to you, you are endeavouring to lessen our dignity
in a way that no prince has, in a like case, presumed to do ;
you set forth some frivolous excuses by which you assert
that you cannot give your consent to the election of our
beloved son, master Stephen, entitled a cardinal priest of
St. Chrysogonus, because forsooth he has been intimate with
your enemies, and is not personally known to you. More-
over, as the proverb of Solomon says, ' The net is cast in
vain before the eyes of birds,' since we know that it is not to
be imputed as a fault, but rather to be reckoned as a glory to
him, that, when he was for a time at Paris studying the
liberal arts, he made such advance in them that he was
rewarded with the title of teacher, not only in civil acquire-
ments, but also in theological learning ; and so, whereas his
life agrees with his doctrines, he was rewarded with the
prebendal stall in the church of Paris ; | wherefore, we think
it a wonder, if a man of such renown, and who derived his
origin from your kingdom, could, as far as report goes,
be unknown to you, especially when you wrote to him three
times after he was promoted to the rank of cardinal by us,
that, however you were disposed to summon him to your
service, you nevertheless were glad that he was raised to a
higher office. But it ought rather to take your attention,
that he was born in your kingdom of parents who were faith-
ful and devoted to you, and that he had been made a prebend
in the church at York^which was a far greater and higher
situation than that of Paris ; whence, not only by reason of
flesh and blood, but also by his holding ecclesiastical benefits
and office, he was proved to have a sincere affection for you
and your kingdom. But your messengers gave to us another
reason for your not giving your consent to his election, which
was forsooth, because you had never been asked for it by

A.D. 1207.] LETTER OF THE POPE. 243

those who ought to have asked your consent to it ; and they
declared that the letters in which we ordered you to send
fitting agents to us on this matter had not reached you, and
that the monks of Canterbury, although they had appeared
before you on other business, had not sent letters or mes-
sengers to ask your consent to this. Wherefore, the same
messengers asked with much earnestness, that, as far as
it pleased us. we would reserve to you the honour that the
monks of Canterbury should ask the consent of their king,
since it had not been done, and that we would grant a fitting
delay for it to be done, that nothing derogatory to your rights
might happen: putting forth something at last against the
person of the archbishop elect, which, being done openly,
ought to have restrained their tongues ; especially as, even if
true, it could no longer impede his election. Although it is not
the custom, when elections are made at the apostolic see, to
wait for the consent of any prince. However, two monks
were sent to you for the special purpose of asking your con-
sent, but they were detained at Dover, so that they were not
able to fulfil their instructions ; and the before-mentioned
letters about the agents were in our presence delivered to
your messengers that they might faithfully deliver them to you.
We, too, who hold full authority over this same church of Can-
terbury, have condescended to ask a favour of a king ; and our
courier, who delivered the apostolic letters to you, also delivered
the letters of the prior and monks, who, by command of the
whole chapter of the church of Canterbury, had made the
aforesaid election, which were written to ask your consent, and
therefore we did not deem it our business again, after all these
circumstances, to ask the royal consent ; but we endeavoured,
without inclining to the right or to the left, to do that which
the canonical ordinances of the holy fathers order to be done,
so that there may be no delay or difficulty in making proper
arrangements that the Lord's flock may not be longer with-
out the care of a pastor. Wherefore, let no one suggest it to
your royal discretion or prudence, that we can in any way be
diverted from the consummation of this business ; since, when
a canonical election is made according to rule without fraud
or cunning of a fitting person, we could not, without loss of
our good name or danger to our conscience, delay the com-
pletion of it. Therefore, well beloved son, to whose dignity

r2

244 ROGER OP WENDOVEB. [A.D. 1207.

we have yielded deference more than we ought, endeavour
to pay proper deference to our dignity, that you may be
rewarded more abundantly with the grace of God and our
favour; but perhaps, should you act otherwise, you may
bring yourself into difficulties from which you will not easily
be extricated; for it must be that He is supreme to whom
every knee is bent, of those in heaven, on earth, and under
the earth, and whose functions on earth we, although un-
deserving, are appointed to perform. Do not therefore
acquiesce in the plans of those who are always longing to
disquiet you, that they may fish better in the troubled water,
but commit yourself to our good pleasure, which will surely
tend to your praise, glory, and honour ; because it would not
be safe for you in this matter to show resistance to God and
the church, for which the blessed martyr and glorious high
priest Thomas recently shed his blood ; especially, too, since
your father and your brother of illustrious memory, at the
time they were kings of England, abjured this wicked custom
before the legates of the apostolic see. And we, if you with
proper humility acquiesce in our wishes, will take care that
no injury shall happen to you in this matter. Given at the
Lateran in the tenth year of our pontificate."* In this same
year, on the feast of St. Remigius, Isabel, queen of the English,
bore to king John her first-born son, and he was named
Henry, after his grandfather.

An eclipse of the moon.

A. d. 1208. King John kept Christmas at Windsor,
where he distributed festive dresses amongst his knights;
and on the day after the purification of St. Mary, an eclipse
of the moon took place, which first appeared of a blood red
and afterwards of a dingy colour. About the same time
Philip bishop of Durham, and Geoffrey bishop of Chester,
paid the debt of nature. In this year, too, queen Isabel bore
a legitimate son to king John, which she named Richard.

* (C About that time died Simon, bishop of Chichester. All the property of
the monks of Canterbury was confiscated on the day of the translation of
St. Swithun ; but Geoffrey, archbishop of York, secretly fled across the sea,
not choosing to agree to the exaction of the thirteenth part. An eclipse of
the sun took place, which lasted from the sixth to the ninth hour, and one
of the moon too on the 6ame day." — M. Paris.

A.D. 1208.] ENGLAND LAID UNDER INTERDICT. 245

The king of England admonished by our lord the pope*

In the same year pope Innocent, on learning that king
John's heart was so hardened, that he would not either by-
persuasion or threats be induced to acquiesce in receiving
Stephen as archbishop of Canterbury, was touched to the
heart with grief, and, by advice of his cardinals, sent orders
to William bishop of London, Eustace bishop of Ely, and
Mauger bishop of Winchester, to go to the said king, about
the matter of the church of Canterbury, and to give him
wholesome counsel to yield to God in this matter, and so
secure the Lord's favour ; but if they found him contumacious
and rebellious as he had hitherto been, he ordered them to i
lay an interdict on the whole kingdom of England, and to
denounce to the said king that, if he did not check his bold-
ness by that means, he, the pope, would lay his hand on him
still more heavily ; since it was necessary for him to conquer,
who for the safety of the holy church had made war on the
devil and his angels, and despoiled the cloisters of hell. He
also, by letters of the apostolic see, gave orders to the
suffragan bishops of the church of Canterbury, and to the
other prelates of that diocese, that, by virtue of their
obedience, they were to receive the aforesaid archbishop as
their father and pastor, and were to obey him with all due
affection.

How England was laid under general interdict.

The bishops of London, Ely, and Winchester, in execution
of the legateship entrusted to them, went to king John, and
after duly setting forth the apostolic commands, entreated of
him humbly and with tears, that he, having God in his sight,
would recall the archbishop and the monks of Canterbury to
their church, and honour and love them with perfect affec-
tion ; and they informed him that thus he would avoid the
shame of an interdict, and the Disposer of rewards would, if
he did so, multiply his temporal honours on him, and after
his death would bestow lasting glory on him. When the
said bishops wished, out of regard to the king, to prolong the
discourse, the king became nearly mad with rage, and broke
forth in words of blasphemy against the pope and his
cardinals, swearing by God's teeth, that, if they or any
other priests soever presumptuously dared to lay his domi-

246 ' ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1208.

nions under an interdict, he would immediately send all the
prelates of England, clerks as well as ordained persons, to
the pope, and confiscate all their property ; he added more-
over, that all the clerks of Rome or of the pope himself who
could be found in England or in his other territories, he
would send to Rome with their eyes plucked out, and their
noses slit, that by these marks they might be known there
from other people ; in addition to this he plainly ordered the
bishops to take themselves quickly from his sight, if they
wished to keep their bodies free from harm. The bishops
then, not finding any repentance in the king, departed, and.
in the Lent following, fearlessly fulfilled the duty required of
them by the pope, and accordingly on the morning of Monday
in Passion week, which that year fell on the 23rd of
March, they laid a general interdict on the whole of England ;
which, since it was expressed to be by authority of our lord
the pope, was inviolably observed by all without regard of
person or privileges. Therefore all church services ceased
to be performed in England, with the exception only of con-
fession, and the viaticum in cases of extremity, and the
baptism of children ; the bodies of the dead too were earned
out of cities and towns, and buried in roads and ditches
without prayers or the attendance of priests. What need I
say more ? The bishops, William of London, Eustace of
Ely, Mauger of Winchester, Jocelyn of Bath, and Giles of
Hereford, left England privily, thinking it better to avoid the
anger of the enraged king for a time, than to dwell without
any good effects in a country which lay under interdict.

How king John, on account of the interdict, confiscated all the property

of the clergy.

The king of England being greatly enraged on account of
the interdict, sent his sheriffs, and other ministers of iniquity,
to all quarters of England, giving orders with dreadful threats
to all priests as well as to those subject to them, to depart
the kingdom immediately, and to demand justice to be
afforded him by the pope for this injury; he also gave all
the bishoprics, abbacies, and priories, into the charge of lay-
men, and ordered all ecclesiastical revenues to be confiscated ;
but the generality of the prelates of England had cautiously
turned their attention to this, and refused to quit their

A.D. 1208.] CONFISCATION OF PROPERTY. 247

monasteries unless expelled by violence ; and when the
agents of the king found this out, they would not use violence
towards them, because they had not a warrant from the king
to that effect ; but they converted all their property to the
king's use, giving them only a scanty allowance of food and
clothing out of their own property. The corn of the clergy
was every where locked up, and distrained for the benefit of
the revenue ; the concubines of the priests and clerks were
taken by the king's servants and compelled to ransom them-
selves at a great expense ; religious men and other persons
ordained of any kind, when found travelling on the road,
were dragged from their horses, robbed, and basely ill-treated
by the satellites of the king, and no one would do them
j ustice. About that time the servants of a certain sheriff on
the confines of Wales came to the king bringing in their
custody a robber with his hands tied behind him, who had
robbed and murdered a priest on the road ; and on their ask-
ing the king what it was his pleasure should be done to the
robber in such a case, the king immediately answered, " He
has slain an enemy of mine, release him and let him go."
The relations, too, of the archbishop and bishops, who had
laid England under an interdict, wherever they could be
found, were by the king's orders taken, robbed of all their pro-
perty, and thrown into prison. Whilst they were enduring
all these evils, these aforesaid prelates were sojourning on the
continent, living on all kinds of delicacies instead of placing
themselves as a wall for the house of God, as the saying of
the Redeemer has it, " When they saw the wolf coming, they
quitted the sheep and fled."

How king John received the homage of the nobles of England,

In the midst of these and similar impious proceedings,
king John, on reflection, was afraid that, after the interdict,
our lord the pope would lay his hands on him more heavily
by excommunicating him by name, or by absolving the
nobles of England from allegiance to him ; he, therefore, that
he might not lose his rights of sovereignty, sent an armed
force to all the men of rank in the kingdom especially those
of whom he was suspicious, and demanded hostages of them,
by which he could, if in course of time they were released
from their fealty, recall them to their due obedience ; many

248 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1209.

acquiesced in the king's demands, some delivering to his
messengers their sons, and others their nephews and other
relations in the flesh. When they at length came to William
de Brause, a man of noble blood, and demanded hostages
from him, as they had done from others, Matilda, wife of the
said William, with the sauciness of a woman, took the reply
out of his mouth, and said to the messengers in reply, " I will
not deliver up my sons to your lord, king John* because he
basely murdered his nephew, Arthur, whom he ought to
have taken care of honourably." Her husband on hearing
her speech rebuked her, and said, " Thou hast spoken like a
foolish woman against our lord the king ; for if I have
offended him in anything, I am and shall be ready to give
satisfaction to my lord and that without hostages, according
to the decision of his court and of my fellow barons, if he
will fix on a time and place for my so doing." The
messengers, on their return to the king, told him what they
had heard, at which he was seriously enraged, and privily
sent some knights and their followers to seize this William
and his family ; but he, being forewarned by his friends, fled
with his wife, children, and relatives, into Ireland. In this
same year the white monks, who at the commencement of the
interdict had ceased their functions, afterwards, at the com-
mand of the chief abbat of their order, presumed to perform
sacred duties; but this piece of presumption coming to the
notice of the supreme pontiff they were again suspended to
their greater confusion.

How the king of the English sent a great sum of money to his
nephew Otho.

a.d. 1209. King John was at Bristol at Christmas, and
there he forbade the taking of birds throughout all England.
After this Henry duke of Suabia came from Otho king of
Germany to England to see king John, and after receiving a
large sum of money for the said Otho's use he returned home
again. In this year too, by the intercession of Stephen arch-
bishop of Canterbury, the indulgence of performing divine
duties once in the week was granted to the conventual
churches in England ; but the white monks were debarred
from this indulgence, because, although they had at the com-
mencement of the interdict abstained therefrom, they had

A.D. 1209.] TREATY OF ALLIANCE. 249

afterwards, at the bidding of their principal abbat, presumed
to perform them without consulting the pope. About this
same time, Louis, son of Philip king of France, and his first
born and legitimate heir, was by his father made a belted
knight at Compiegne, and a hundred other nobles with him.

How the king of the English entered into a treaty of alliance with
the king of Scots.

About that time king John collected a large force, and
turned his arms against Scotland. When he came to the
county of Northumberland, to a castle called JSTorham, he
there drew up his army in order of battle against the king of
Scots ; but when the latter monarch was told of this, he was '
afraid to engage with him, since he knew the English king's
proneness to all kinds of cruelty, but he came to meet
that monarch to treat for peace. But the king of England,
being enraged, bitterly reproached him with having received
in his kingdom his fugitive subjects and open enemies, and
with having afforded assistance and shown kindness to them,
to the prejudice of him the English king. However when
John had set forth all these matters to the said king of Scots,
they entered into an agreement, by which the latter was to
give to the English monarch twelve thousand marks of silver
as a security for peace, and should moreover, for the better
security of it, give him his two daughters as hostages, that,
by this arrangement the peace might be more confirmed
between them. The latter king then departed from the
above-mentioned castle on the 28th of June, and gave orders
for all the hedges to be burnt and the ditches to be levelled
throughout the forests of all England, and for the pasturage
to be laid open for the consumption of cattle. Afterwards
he received homage from all his free tenants, and even from
boys of twelve years old throughout the whole kingdom, and
after they had given their fealty he received them with a
kiss of peace and dismissed them. And, what had never
been heard of in times past, the Welsh came to the king at
Woodstock and there did homage to him, although it was
burdensome to rich as well as poor. In this same year Otho
son of the duke of Saxony, and nephew of the king of
England, was consecrated emperor of Rome by pope Innocent
on the 4th of October. About this same time a certain clerk,

250 HOGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1209.

who was studying the liberal arts at Oxford, accidentally
slew a woman, and when he found that she was dead he
consulted his own safety by flight. But the mayor of the
city and several other persons coming up, and finding the
dead woman, began to search for the murderer in his house,
which he had rented, together with three others his fellow
clerks, and not finding the murderer, they made prisoners of
his three fellow clerks, who were altogether ignorant of the
murder, and thrust them into prison ; and a few days after-
wards they were, by order of the king, in contempt of the
rights of the church, taken outside the city and hung. On
this the clerks to the number of three thousand, masters as
well as pupils, retired from Oxford, so that not one remained
out of the whole university ; some of these went to Cambridge,
and others to Reading to pursue their studies, leaving the city
of Oxford empty. In the same year Hugh archdeacon of Wells,
and chancellor of the king, was, by the management of the said
king, elected to the bishopric of Lincoln, and immediately
after the election was made, he received from the king free
jurisdiction over the whole bishopric.

How king John was excommunicated by name.

King John had now for nearly two years, as has been
said before, unceasingly continued throughout England, on
account of the interdict, a most severe persecution against the
clergy as well as some of the laity, and had entirely destroyed
all kind of hope in every one of any improvement or satisfac-
tion, and pope Innocent could no longer put off the punish-
ment of his rebellion; wherefore, by the advice of his
cardinals, he, in order to cut up by the root such an insult
to the church, gave orders to the bishops of London, Ely,
and Winchester, to declare the said king excommunicated by
name, and solemnly to publish this sentence every Sunday
and feast day in all the conventual churches throughout
England, that thus the king might be more strictly shunned
by every one. But after the aforesaid bishops had, by the
apostolic authority, entrusted the publication of this sentence
to their fellow bishops who had remained in England, and to
the other prelates of the church, they all, through fear of or
regard for the king, became like dumb dogs not daring to
bark, wherefore they put off fulfilling the duty enjoined on

A.D. 1209.] KING JOHN EXCOMMUNICATED. 251

them by the apostolic mandate, and failed to proceed accord-
ing to the usual course of justice. Nevertheless in a short
time the decree became known to all in the roads and streets,
and even in the places of assembly of the people it afforded a
subject of secret conversation to all ; amongst others, as
Geoffrey archdeacon of Norwich was one day sitting in the
Exchequer at Westminster, attending to the king's business,
he began to talk privately with his companions who sat with
him, of the decree which was sent forth against the king,
and said that it was not safe for beneficed persons to remain
any longer in their allegiance to an excommunicated king ;
after saying which, he went to his own house without asking
the king's permission. This event coming soon after to the
knowledge of the king, he was not a little annoyed,
and sent William Talbot a knight, with some soldiers, to
seize the archdeacon, and they, after he was taken, bound
him in chains and threw him into prison ; after he had been
there a few days, by command of the said king a cap of lead
was put on him, and at length, being overcome by want of
food as well as by the weight of the leaden cap, he departed
to the Lord.

Of the evil counsel of the wicked Alexander,

During the time of the interdict a pseudo-theologist, one
Master Alexander, surnamed the Mason, insinuated himself
into the king's favour, and by his iniquitous preachings he
in a great measure incited the king to acts of cruelty ; for he
said that this universal scourge was not brought on England
by any fault of the king's, but by the wickedness of his
subjects ; he also declared that he, the king, was the rod of
God, and had been made a prince in order to rule his people
and others subject to him with a rod of iron, and to break
them all " like a potter's vessel," to bind those in power with
shackles, and his nobles with manacles of iron. By some
specious arguments he proved that it was not the pope's
business to meddle with the lay estates of kings or of any
potentates whatever, or with the government of their sub-
jects ; especially as nothing, except the power only over the
church and church property, had been conferred by the Lord
on St. Peter. By these and the like fallacies, he so gained
favour with the king, that he obtained several benefices

252 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1210.

which had been taken from religious men by the said king's
violence ; but as soon as the perversity of this man came to
the ears of the supreme pontiff, he was, by the pope's own
management, deprived of all his goods and benefices, and at
length reduced to such wretchedness, that he was compelled
by necessity in the poorest clothing to beg his bread from
door to door ; and the multitude looked on him with derision
saying, " Behold the man who did not make God his helper,
but put his trust in the multitude of his riches, and
strengthened himself in his vanity; let him therefore be
always before the Lord, that the recollection of him may
perish from the earth, because he did not call it to his mind
to show compassion ; therefore the Lord will destroy him to
the end, and his speech shall be against him as a sin, so that
his habitation may be blotted out from the land of the
living."

Of the consecration of Hugh bishop of Lincoln.

In this same year Hugh bishop elect of Lincoln, obtained
leave from the king to cross over to France, that he might
receive consecration from the archbishop of Rouen, but as
soon as he had landed in Normandy, he went to Stephen
archbishop of Canterbury, and after making his canonical
submission to that prelate, he was by him consecrated on the
20th of December. When this was discovered by the king,
he immediately took possession of all the said bishopric, and
converted all the emoluments of it to his own uses : he also
gave up his seal to Walter de Gray and appointed him his
chancellor, and he made the king's pleasure his business in
managing all the affairs of the kingdom.

How the Jews were compelled to pay a heavy ransom,

a.d. 1210. King John was at Windsor at Christmas, and
all the nobles of England were present and conversing with
him, notwithstanding the sentence under which he was bound,
a rumour of which, although it had not been published, had
spread through all parts of England, and come to the ears of
every body ; for the king endeavoured to work evil to all
who absented themselves from him. Afterwards, by the
king's order, all the Jews throughout England, of both sexes,
were seized, imprisoned, and tortured severely, in order to
do the king's will with their money ; some of them then after

A.D. 1210.] EXCOMMUNICATION OF OTHO. 253

being tortured gave up all they had arid promised more, that
they might thus escape ; one of this sect at Bristol, even
after being dreadfully tortured, still refused to ransom him-
self or to put an end to his sufferings, on which the king
ordered his agents to knock out one of his cheek-teeth daily,
until he paid ten thousand marks of silver to him ; after they
had for seven days knocked out a tooth each day with great
agony to the Jew, and had begun the same operation on the
eighth day, the said Jew, reluctant as he was to provide the
money required, gave the said sum to save his eighth tooth,
although he had already lost seven.

Of the excommunication of the emperor Otho,

About that time, Otho the Roman emperor, remembering

the oath which he had made on his elevation to the empire

by the pope, namely, that he would preserve the dignity of

the empire and, as far as lay in his power, would recall its

scattered rights, caused an inquiry to be made, on the oaths

of legal men, concerning the castles of his domain, and other

rights appertaining to the imperial dignity, and whatever was

found to belong to the throne he endeavoured to convert to

his own use. On this there arose a serious dispute between

the pope and the emperor, because when the throne of the

empire was vacant, the said pope had taken possession of

several castles with other things which pertained to the

empire ; wherefore the emperor, because he endeavoured to

recover what was his own, aroused the hatred of the pope

without deserving it. The same emperor also seriously

annoyed Frederic king of Sicily, who had, in the same way,

when the imperial throne was unoccupied, taken possession

of some fortified places; whereupon the said pope by

messengers and letters frequently warned the said emperor to

desist from this persecution of the church of Rome, as well as

from disinheriting the king of Sicily, and the guardianship

entrusted to the apostolic see. In reply to these messengers

of the pope the emperor is said to have made this answer ;

"If," said he, "the supreme pontiff desires unjustly to

possess the rights of the empire, let him release me from the

oath which he compelled me to take on my consecration to

the imperial dignity, namely, that I would recover the

alienated rights of the empire, and maintain those which I

254 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1210.

had." At length as the pope refused to absolve the emperor
from the oath which all emperors at their consecration are
bound to take on the holy gospel, the emperor on the other
hand refused to give up the rights of the empire, which he
had, for the most part, recovered by force; the said pope,
therefore, pronounced the sentence of excommunication
against the emperor, and absolved all the nobles of Germany,
as well as of the Roman empire, from allegiance to him.

How the king of England led an army into Ireland.

In this same year king John assembled a large army
at Pembroke in Wales, and set out for Ireland, where he
arrived on the sixth of June. On his arrival at the city of
Dublin, more than twenty of the chiefs of that district met
him in the greatest alarm, and did homage, and swore fealty
to him ; some few of them however would not do this, scorn-
ing to come to the king because they dwelt in impregnable
places. He there made and ordained English laws and
customs, appointing sheriffs and other agents to govern the
people of that kingdom according to English laws ; he ap-
pointed John, bishop of (Norwich* justiciary there, who caused
a penny to be coined for that country the same weight as the
English penny, and he also ordered a halfpenny and a round
farthing to be coined. The king also ordered that that money
should be used in common by all, as well in England as in
Ireland, and that the penny of both kingdoms should be placed
alike in his treasury. Of the roundness of this money the
prophet Merlin prophesied — " The form of commerce shall be
divided, and the half will be round." After this the king
proceeded in great force, and took several of the fortresses of
his enemies, and Walter de Lacy, a man of noble race, fled
before him, together with several others, who were afraid of
falling into his hands. When he came to the county of Meath,
he besieged the wife of William de Brause, and William her
son, with his wife in a fortress there, and making prisoners
of them he sent them loaded with chains into England, and
ordered them to be closely confined in Windsor Castle. At
length king John, after arranging matters at his pleasure
throughout the greatest part of all Ireland, embarked tri-
umphantly, and landed in England on the twenty-ninth of
August ; he then hurried off to London and ordered all the

A.D. 1211.] WELSH PRINCES SUBDUED. 255

prelates of England to meet in his presence. To this general
assembly there came abbats, priests, abbesses, templars,
hospitallers, the governors of vills, of the order of Cluny,
and of other foreign districts, men of every rank and order,
and they were all compelled to pay such heavy ransoms, and
to make so great an expenditure of the church property, that
the amount of the money extorted is said to have exceeded a
hundred thousand pounds sterling ; the white monks, too, of
the kingdom of England, exclusive of the rest, after being
deprived of their privileges, were compelled to pay forty
thousand pounds of silver to the king in this taxation. In
this year, too, the noblewoman Matilda, wife of William de
Brause, and her son and heir William, with his wife, who had
been imprisoned at Windsor by order of the English king,
died of starvation at that place.

How the king of England subdued the Welsh princes.

A. D. 1211. At Christmas, king John was at York
in company with the earls and barons of his kingdom ; and
in this year, too, the said king collected a large army at
Whitchurch, and marched into Wales on the eighth of July,
and penetrated in great force into the interior of that country
as far as Snowdon, destroying all the places he came to ; he
subdued all the princes and nobles without opposition, and
received twenty-eight hostages for their submission for the
future. After these successes he returned, on the day of
St. Mary's Assumption, to Whitchurch, from which place he
went to Northampton, and there he met two messengers with
letters from our lord the pope, namely Pandulph, a sub-
deacon and a cardinal of the apostolic see, and Durand, a
brother of the knights of the Temple, who had come for the
purpose of restoring peace between the king and the priest-
hood. The king, after advising with the messengers, willingly
granted permission for the archbishop of Canterbury and the
monks, as well as all the proscribed bishops, to return to
their homes in peace ; but as he refused to make good to the
archbishop and bishops the losses they had sustained, or to"
satisfy them for their property which had been confiscated,
the messengers returned to France without concluding the
business. King John, after this, levied a tax on the knights
who had not been with the army in Wales, of two marks of

256 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1212,

silver for each scutcheon. In this year a man of noble blood,
the renowned knight Roger, constable of Chester, closed his
life.

How the French king banished Reginald count of Boulogne.

About this time Reginald count of Boulogne, a bold and
warlike man, was unjustly expelled from his county by the
French king, and deprived of all his property ; and, after his
expulsion, the said king gave his own son Philip, the same
county, together with the daughter and legitimate heiress of
the said count, to be held by him as his right for ever. But
count Reginald came to England and was honourably re-
ceived by king John, from whose generosity he received
three hundred pounds of landed revenue, on which he did
homage and swore fealty to the said king.

Of the death of William de Brause.

About the same time William de Brause the elder, who
had fled into France from king John, closed his life at
Corbeil, and was buried with honours at the convent of
St. Victor at Paris. In this year, too, pope Innocent, being
astonished beyond measure at king John's contumaciousness
in rejecting the wholesome advice of the messengers he had
sent to treat with him, absolved from all fealty and allegiance
to the English king, the princes, and all others, low as well
as high, who owed duty to the English crown, plainly and
under penalty of excommunication, ordering them strictly to
avoid associating with him at the table, in council, or con-
verse. At the time of this interdict the king had most evil
counsellors, the names of whom, in part, I will not omit to
mention here ; William brother of the king, and earl of
Salisbury, Alberic de Vere earl of Oxford, Geoffrey Fitz-
Peter justiciary, three courtier bishops, Philip of Durham,
Peter of Winchester, and John of Norwich, Richard Marshal
chancellor, Hugh de Neville master of the forests, William
de Wrotham warden of the sea-ports, Robert de Vipont and
Ivo his brother, Brian de Lisle and Geoffrey de Luci, Hugh
de Baliol and Bernard his brother, William de Cantelu and
William his son, Fulk de Cantelu, and Henry de Cornhill
sheriff of Kent, Robert de Braybrook and Henry his son,
Philip d'Ulecote and John de Bassingbourne, Philip Marcy,

A.D. 121*2.] CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE KING. 257

castellan of Nottingham, Peter de Maulei and Robert de
Gaugi, Gerard de Atie and Engelard his nephew, Fulk and
William Briuere, Peter Fitz-Herebert and Thomas Bassett,
with many others, to mention whom would be tedious ; and
all these, in their desire to please the king, gave their advice,
not according to reason, but as the king's pleasure dictated.

How the king of England knighted Alexander son of the king of Scots.

a.d. 1212. King John was at Windsor at Christmas; and
on Easter Sunday in the Lent following, the said king held
a feast at London, at St. Bridget's, in the hospital of Clerk -
enwell, where, at table, he knighted Alexander, son and heir
of the king of Scotland. In the same year died at Pontigny,
Mauger bishop of Winchester, who was an exile and pro-
scribed man for his protection of the rights of the church,
and his maintenance of justice.

How the king of England ivas forewarned of treachery against himself.

About this time the Welsh burst fiercely forth from their
hiding-places, and took some of the English king's castles,
decapitating all they found in them, knights and soldiers
alike ; they also burnt several towns, and at length, after col-
lecting great quantities of booty, they again betook themselves
to their retreats without any loss to themselves. When these
events became known to the English king, he was very in-
dignant, and collected a numerous army of horse and foot
soldiers, determining to ravage the Welsh territories, and to
exterminate the inhabitants. On his arriving with his army
at Nottingham, before he either ate or drank, he ordered
twenty-eight youths, whom he had received the year before
as hostages from the Welsh, to be hung on the gibbet, in
revenge for the above-mentioned transgressions of their coun-
trymen. Whilst he was, after this, sitting at table eating and
drinking, there came a messenger from the king of Scotland,
who delivered letters, warning him of premeditated treachery
against him ; soon after which there came another messenger
from the daughter of the same king, the wife of Leolin king
of Wales ; this second messenger brought letters unlike the
former ones, and told the king that the contents were a secret.
After his meal the king took him aside and ordered him to
explain the meaning of the letters ; these, although they came

VOL. II. S

258 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1212*

from different countries, were to one and the same effect,
which was that, if the king persisted in the war which he
had begun, he would either be slain by his own nobles, or
delivered to his enemies for destruction. The king was
greatly alarmed on learning this ; and, as he knew that the
English nobles were absolved from their allegiance to him,
he put more faith in the truth of the letters ; therefore, wisely
changing his intention, he ordered his army to return home,
he himself going to the city of London, where, on his arrival,
he sent messengers to all the nobles, of whose fidelity to
himself he had suspicions, and demanded hostages from them
that he might thus find out who were willing, and who
unwilling, to obey him. The nobles, not daring to disobey
the king's commands, sent their sons, nieces, and other rela-
tives at the pleasure of the king, and thus his anger was in
some small degree assuaged ; however, Eustace de Vesci, and
Robert Fitz- Walter, who had been accused of the above-men-
tioned treachery, and were strongly suspected by the king,
left England, Eustace retiring to Scotland, and Robert to
France.

Of Peter the hermit and his prophecy.

About this time there dwelled in the county of York a
certain hermit named Peter, who was considered a wise man,
on account of his having foretold to a number of people many
circumstances which were about to happen ; amongst other
things, which, in his spirit of prophecy, he had seen con-
cerning John the English king, he openly and before all
declared, that he would not be a king on the next approach-
ing Ascension-day, nor afterwards ; for he foretold that on
that day the crown of England would be transferred to
another. This assertion coming to the knowledge of the
king, the hermit was, by his orders, brought before him, and
the king asked him if he should die on that day, or how he
would be deprived of the throne of the kingdom : the hermit
replied, " Rest assured that on the aforesaid day you will not
be a king ; and if I am proved to have told a lie, do what
you will with me." The king then said to him, " Be it as
you say ;" and he then delivered the hermit into the custody
of William d'Harcourt, who loaded him with chains, and
kept him imprisoned at Corfe to await the event of his pro-

A.D. 1212.] JOHN DEPOSED. 259

phecy. This declaration of the hermit was soon spread
abroad even to the most remote provinces, so that almost all
who heard it put faith in his words as though his prediction
had been declared from heaven. There were at this time in the
kingdom of England many nobles, whose wives and daughters
the king had violated to the indignation of their husbands
and fathers ; others whom he had by unjust exactions reduced
to the extreme of poverty ; some whose parents and kindred
he had exiled, converting their inheritances to his own uses ;
thus the said king's enemies were as numerous as his nobles.
Therefore at this crisis, on learning that they were absolved
from their allegiance to John, they were much pleased, and,
if report is to be credited, they sent a paper, sealed with the
seals of each of the said nobles, to the king of the French,
telling him that he might safely come to England, take pos-
session of the kingdom, and be crowned with all honour and
dignity.

How sentence of deposition was passed upon king John,

About this time Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, and
the bishops William of London, and Eustace of Ely, went to
Rome and informed the pope of the divers rebellions and
enormities perpetrated by the king of England from the time
of the interdict up to the present time, by unceasingly laying
the hands of rage and cruelty on the holy church in oppo-
sition to the Lord ; and they therefore humbly supplicated
the pope in his pious compassion to assist the church of
England, now labouring as it were in its last extremities.
The pope then being deeply grieved for the desolation of the
kingdom of England, by the advice of his cardinals, bishops,
and other wise men, definitively decreed that John king of
England should be deposed from the throne of that kingdom,
and that another, more worthy than he, to be chosen by the
pope, should succeed him. In pursuance of this his decree,
our lord the pope wrote to the most potent Philip, king of
the French, ordering him, in remission of all his faults, to
undertake this business, and declaring that, after he had
expelled the English king from the throne of that kingdom,
he and his successors should hold possession of the kingdom
of England for ever. Besides this, he wrote to all the
nobles knights, and other warlike men throughout the difier-

s2

260 KOGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1212.

ent countries, ordering them to assume the sign of the cross,
and to follow the king of the French as their leader, to
dethrone the English king, and thus to revenge the insult
which had been cast on the universal church: he also
ordered that all those who afforded money or personal assist-
ance in overthrowing that contumacious king, should, like
those who went to visit the Lord's sepulchre, remain secure
under the protection of the church, as regarded their pro-
perty, persons, and spiritual interests. After this the pope,
on his part, sent Pandulph, a sub-deacon, with the arch-
bishop and bishops above-named, into the French provinces,
that in his own presence all his commands above related
might be fulfilled ; Pandulph, however, on leaving the pope
when all others were away from him, secretly inquired of
his holiness what it was his pleasure should be done, if by
chance he should find any of the fruits of repentance in
John, so that he would give satisfaction to the Lord and the
church of Rome for all matters in regard of this business.
The pope then dictated a simple form of peace, and said that
if John determined to agree to it, he might find favour with
the apostolic see. A description of the terms of this is here-
after contained.*

* " About the same time the king ordered Geoffrey of Norwich, a faith-
ful clerk of his, a prudent and skilful man, to be seized and imprisoned in
the castle of Nottingham, where he was put to death with the most exquisite
tortures. On learning this, master William Neccot, a companion of the
said Geoffrey, and a man of great courage, fled into France, and secreted
himself at Corbeil, that he might not be put to death without cause like
Geoffrey. About the same time too, king John sent for Faulkes, whom
he had appointed to take charge of some place in the marshes of Wales,
that he might join him in venting his rage on the barons, knowing that he
did not fear to commit any crime. This wicked freebooter was a Norman by
birth, and illegitimate. He even acted much more cruelly against the
barons than he had been ordered to, as will be related hereafter ; and on
that account the king, becoming favourable to him, gave him in marriage a
noble lady named Margaret de Riparia, with all the lands belonging to her.
In this same year, on the night of the translation of St. Benedict, the
church of St. Mary at South wark, in London, was burned, and also the
bridge of London between three pillars, as well as a chapel on the bridge,
besides a great portion of the city, and part of the town of Southwark, the
fire making its way across the bridge. By this calamity about a thousand
people were killed, including many women and children." — M. Paris.

A. D. 1213.] PREPARATIONS FOR WAR. 261

The return of the archbishop of Canterbury and of the said bishops, from
the apostolic see, and the death of Geoffrey archbishop of York.

a.d. 1213. King John held his court at Christmas as
Westminster with only a very small company of knights in
his train ; and about that time died Geoffrey archbishop of
York, who had been an exile for seven years owing to his
defence of the rights of the church and his maintenance of
justice. In the month of January, in this same year,
Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, and William and Eustace
the bishops of London and Ely, returned from the court of
Eomc, and held a council on the continent, at which they
with due solemnity made known the decree which had been
sent forth against the English king for his contumacy, to the
king of the French, to the French bishops and clergy, and to
people in general ; afterwards, in the name of our lord the
pope, they enjoined on the king of the French as well as all
others, that, as a remission of their sins, they should all
unitedly invade England, depose John from the throne of
that kingdom, and appoint another, under the apostolic
authority, who should be worthy to fill it. The king of the
French, seeing what he had long desired come to pass, made
his preparations for war, and ordered all his subjects alike,
dukes, counts, barons, knights, and attendants, equipped with
horses and arms, to assemble in force at Rouen in the octaves
of Easter, under penalty of being branded with cowardice,
and of incurring the charge of treason. He likewise ordered
all his own ships, and as many others as he could collect, to
be well supplied with corn, wine, meat, and other stores,
that there might be abundance of all necessaries for so large
an army.

King John's preparations to resist his coming enemies.

King John, learning, by means of his spies, what was
going forward in the transmarine provinces, prepared to
make the best defence he could against the plans prepared
against him ; he therefore ordered a list to be made of all the
ships in each of the ports of England, by a warrant which he
sent to each of the bailiifs of the ports to the following effect :
" John, king of England, fyc. — We command you that, im-
mediately on receipt of these our letters, you go in person,
together with the bailiffs of the ports to each of the harbours

262 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A'D* 1213.

in your bailiwick, and make a careful list of all the ships
there found capable of carrying six horses or more; and
that, in our name, you order the masters as well as the
owners of those ships, as they regard themselves, their ships,
and all their property, to have them at Portsmouth at Mid-
lent, well equipped with stores, tried seamen, and good
soldiers, to enter into our service for our deliverance ; and
that you then and there make a true and distinct list of how
many ships you find in each port, whose they are, and how
many horses each ship can carry ; and you then inform us
how many and what ships are not in their harbours on the
Sunday after Ash- Wednesday, as we had ordered ; and this
shall be your warrant for the same. Witness, myself, at the
New Temple, this third day of March." Having thus ar-
ranged about the ships, the king sent other letters to all the
sheriffs of his kingdom to the following effect : " John, king
of England, Sfc. — Give warning by good agents to the
earls, barons, knights, and all free and serving men, who-
ever they be, or by whatever tenure they hold, who ought to
have, or may procure, arms, who have made homage and
sworn allegiance to us, that, as they regard us, as well as
themselves and all their own property, they be at Dover at
the end of the coming Lent, equipped with horses and arms,
and with all they can provide, to defend our person and their
persons, and the land of England, and let no one who can
carry arms remain behind under penalty of being branded
with cowardice, and of being condemned to perpetual slavery ;
and let each man follow his lord ; and let those who possess
no land, and who can carry arms, come to take service with
us as mercenaries. And send, moreover, all victualling con-
veyances, and all the markets of your bailiwick to follow our
army, so that no market may be held elsewhere in your
bailiwick, and do you yourself attend at that place with your
agents aforesaid. And be sure that we wish to know in
what manner all come from your bailiwick, and who come,
and who do not ; and see that you come properly supplied
with horses and arms, so that we may not be obliged to deal
with you in person. And see that you have a roll, so as to
inform us of those who remain." On these letters being
spread abroad throughout England, there assembled at the
sea-ports in different parts which most attracted the king's

A.D. 1213.] PANDULPH VISITS THE KING. 263

attention, such as Dover, Feversham, and Ipswich, men of
divers conditions and ages, who dreaded nothing more than
the name of coward ; but after a few days, on account of
their vast numbers, provisions failed them, therefore the
commanders of the army sent home a large number of the
inexperienced men, retaining only at the coast the soldiers,
attendants, and free-men, with the cross-bow men, and
archers. Moreover, John bishop of Norwich came to the
king from Ireland with five hundred knights, and a body of
horse soldiers, and was graciously received by him. When
the whole of the forces were assembled at Barham Down, the
army was computed to consist of sixty thousand strong,
including chosen knights and their followers, all well armed ;
and had they been of one heart and one disposition towards
the king of England, and in defence of their country, there
was not a prince under heaven against whom they could not
have defended the kingdom of England. The king de-
termined to engage his enemies at sea, to drown them before
they landed, for he had a more powerful fleet than the
French king, and in that he placed his chief means of de-
fence.

Pandulph comes to the king.

Whilst the English king was with his army waiting the
approach of the king of the French near the sea-coast, two of
the brothers of the Temple arrived at Dover, and coming to
the king in a friendly manner said to him, " We have been
sent to you, most potent king, for the benefit of yourself and
your kingdom, by Pandulph the subdeacon and familiar of
our lord the pope, who desires to have an interview with
you ; and he will propose to you a form of peace, by which
you can be reconciled to God and to the church, although
you have by the court of Rome been deposed from your right
to the sovereignty of England, and been condemned by
decree of that court." The king then, on hearing the speech
of the templars, ordered them immediately to cross the sea
and fetch Pandulph to him. Pandulph therefore, on this
invitation of the king came to him at Dover, and spoke to
him in these words, " Behold, the most potent king of the
French is at the mouth of the Seine with a countless fleet,
and a large army of horse and foot, waiting till he is
strengthened with a larger force, to come upon you and your

264 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1213.

kingdom, and to expel you from it by force, as an enemy to
the Lord and the supreme pontiff, and afterwards, by
authority of the apostolic see to take possession of the king-
dom of England for ever. There are also coming with him
all the bishops who have for a long while been banished from
England, with the exiled clergy and laity, by his assist-
ance, to recover by force their episcopal sees and other
property, and to fulfil to him for the future the, obedience
formerly shown to you and your ancestors. The said king
moreover says that he holds papers of fealty and subjection
from almost all the nobles of England, on which account he
feels secure of bringing the business he has undertaken to a
most successful termination. Consult therefore your own
advantage, and become penitent as if you were in your last
moments, and delay not to appease that God whom you have
provoked to a heavy vengeance. If you are willing to give
sufficient security that you will submit to the judgment of
the church, and to humble yourself before Him who humbled
himself for you, you may, through the compassion of the
apostolic see, recover the sovereignty, from which you have
been abjudicated at Rome on account of your contumacy.
Now therefore reflect, lest your enemies shall have cause to
rejoice over you, and bring not yourself into difficulties, from
which, however you may wish to do so, you will not be able
to extricate yourself."

How king John was aroused to repentance.

King John, hearing and seeing the truth of all this, was
much annoyed and alarmed, seeing how imminent the
danger was on every side. There were four principal
reasons, which urged him to repentance and atonement ; the
first was that he had been now for five years lying under
excommunication, and had so offended God and the holy
church, that he gave up all hopes of saving his soul; the
second was, that he dreaded the arrival of the French king,
who was waiting near the sea-coast with a countless army, and
planning his downfall ; the third was, he feared, should he give
battle to his approaching enemies, lest he should be aban-
doned to himself in the field by the nobles of England and
his own people, or be given up to his enemies for destruction ;
but his fourth reason alarmed him more than all the rest,

A.D. 1213.] CHARTER OF KING JOHN. 265

for the day of our Lord's ascension was drawing near, when
he feared that, according to the prophecy of Peter the hermit
mentioned above, he should with his life lose the temporal as
well as the eternal kingdom. Being therefore driven to
despair by these and the like reasons he yielded to the
persuasions of Pandulph, and, although not without pain, he
granted the underwritten form of peace ; he also swore by
the holy gospels in the presence of Pandulph, that he would
be obedient to the church's sentence, and sixteen of the most
powerful nobles of the kingdom swore on the soul of the king
himself, that, should he repent of his promise, they would, to
the utmost of their power, compel him to fulfil it.

Charter of king John for giving satisfaction to the archbishop and monks
of Canterbury, and other prelates of England ', and for the restitution of
their confiscated property.

On the 13th day of May, which was the Monday next
preceding Ascension day, the king and Pandulph with the
earls, barons, and a large concourse of people, met at Dover
and there they unanimously agreed to the underwritten form
of peace : —

"John king of England, to all to whom these presents
shall come, greeting. — By these our letters patent, sealed with
our seal, we wish it known, that, in our presence and by our
commands, these our four barons, namely, William earl of
Salisbury, our brother, Reginald count of Boulogne, William
earl Warenne, and William count of Ferrars, have sworn,
on our soul, that we will in all good faith keep the subscribed
peace in all things. We therefore in the first place solemnly
and absolutely swear, in the presence of the legate, to abide
by the commands of our lord the pope, in all the matters for
which we have been excommunicated by him, and that we
will observe strict peace and afford full security to those
venerable men, Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, William
bishop of London, Eustace bishop of Ely, Giles of Hereford,
Jocelyn of Bath, and Hubert of Lincoln, the prior and monks
of Canterbury, Robert Fitz- Walter, and Eustace de Yesci,
and also to the rest of the clergy and laity connected with
this matter ; we, at the same time, in the presence of the
same legate or delegate, publicly make oath that we will not
injure them in property, or cause or permit them to be

266 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1213.

injured in person or property, and we will dismiss all our
anger against them, and will receive them into our favour,
and observe this in all good faith; also that we will not
hinder the aforesaid archbishop and bishops, or cause or
permit, them to be hindered from performing their duties in
all freedom, and enjoying the full authority of their jurisdic-
tion, as they ought to do. And for this we will grant our
letters patent as well to our lord the pope as to the said arch-
bishop and to each of the bishops, causing our bishops, earls,
and barons, as many of them as the aforesaid archbishop and
bishops shall select, to set forth by their oath and by letters
patent that they themselves will use their endeavours to see
this peace and arrangement firmly kept; and if by any
chance, which may God avert, we should, either by ourselves
or by others, contravene this, they will then abide by the
apostolic commands on behalf of the church against the
violators of this peace and arrangement, and may we for ever
lose the wardship of the vacant churches. And if by chance
we cannot induce them to agree to the last part of this oath,
namely, that, if we contravene it either by ourselves or others,
they will abide by the apostolic commands on behalf of the
church against the violators of this peace and arrangement,
we have, for this, by our letters patent, pledged with our lord
the pope and the church of Rome, all the right of patronage
which we possess in the English churches. And we will
transmit all these our letters patent, which are granted for
the security of the aforesaid prelates, to the archbishop and
bishops before they come to England. But, should we
require it, the aforesaid archbishop and bishops shall, saving
the honour of God and the churches, give security on oat1:,
and in writing, that they will not, either personally or by
others, make any attempt against our person or crown, as
long as we afford them the security above-mentioned, and
keep the peace unbroken. We will also make full restitution
of the confiscated property, and satisfy for their losses
the clergy as well as laity who are concerned in this business,
not only as regards their property, but also their rights, and
we will protect their restored rights ; the archbishop and the
bishop of Lincoln we will indemnify from the time of their
consecration, the rest from the commencement of this dis-
agreement. And no agreement, promise, or grant shall be

A.D. 1213.] CHARTER OF KING JOHN. 267

an impediment to these indemnifications for loss, or the
restoration of the confiscated property of the dead as well as
the living. Nor will we retain anything under pretence of
service due to us, but afterwards a proper recompence shall
be given for service done to us. And we will forthwith
release, dismiss, and restore to their rights all the clergy
whom we are holding under restraint, as well as any of the
laity, who are detained in custody on account of this business.
And immediately on the arrival of a fit person to absolve us,
we will, in part restoration of the confiscated property,
deliver to messengers deputed by the said archbishop, bishops,
and monks of Canterbury, the sum of eight thousand pounds
lawful sterling money, for discharging what is due, and for
necessary expenses to be carried to them without let or
hindrance on our part, that they may be honourably recalled
and returned to England as soon as possible, namely, to
Stephen archbishop of Canterbury two thousand five hundred
pounds, to William bishop of London seven hundred and fifty
pounds, to Eustace of Ely seven hundred and fifty pounds,
to Jocelyn of Bath, seven hundred and fifty pounds, to
Hubert of Lincoln seven hundred and fifty pounds, and to
the prior and monks of Canterbury a thousand pounds ; and
as soon as we know that this peace is confirmed, we will
assign without delay to the archbishop and bishops, to the
clergy and to each and all of the churches, by the hands of
their messengers or agents, all the moveable property with
free management of the same, and dismiss them peaceably.
And we will also publicly revoke the sentence of outlawry
which we have pronounced against the ecclesiastics, declaring
by these our letters patent, to be delivered to the archbishop,
that it in no wise pertains to us, and that we will never
again pronounce that sentence against the ecclesiastics ; we
moreover revoke the sentence of outlawry pronounced against
the laity concerned in this matter, and restore all that we
have received from ecclesiastics since the interdict, except
the custom of the kingdom and the liberty of the church.
But if any question shall arise about the losses and confisca-
tions, or the amount of computation of them, it shall be
determined by the legate or delegate of our lord the pope,
after hearing evidence on the matter; and after all this is
duly arranged the sentence of interdict shall be withdrawn.

268 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1213.

As to the other points, if any doubts, worthy of being enter-
tained, arise, if they are not set at rest by the legate or
delegate of our lord the pope, they shall be referred to the
pope himself, and whatever he determines shall be abided by.
Witness myself, at Dover, this 13th day of May, in the
fourteenth year of our reign.*

How king John resigned his crown and the kingdom of England into the
hands of pope Innocent.

Matters having been thus arranged on the fifteenth of
May, which was the eve of Ascension-day, the English king
and Pandulph, with the nobles of the kingdom, met at the
house of the knights templars near Dover, and there the
said king, according to a decree pronounced at Rome, resigned
his crown with the kingdoms of England and Ireland into
the hands of our lord the pope, whose functions the said Pan-
dulph was then performing. After having resigned them
then he gave the aforesaid kingdoms to the pope and his
successors, and confirmed them to the latter by the under-
written charter ; —

" John, by the grace of God, king of England, fyc. to all the
faithful servants of Christ who shall behold this charter, health
in the Lord. — We wish it, by this our charter signed with
our seal, to be known to you, that we, having in many things
offended God and our mother the holy church, and being in
great need of the divine mercy for our sins, and not having
wherewithal to make a worthy offering as an atonement to
God, and to pay the just demands of the church, unless we
humiliate ourselves before Him who humiliated himself for
us even to death ; we, impelled by the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, and not by force or from fear of the interdict, but of

* "About the same time king John accused Robert Fitz- Walter of
treachery and rebellion, and on the day after the feast of St. Hilary, which
was a Monday, he ordered Baynard's castle at London to be pulled down
by the Londoners. On the Thursday following, Nicholas bishop of
Tusculum, came to England as legate, and went first to Westminster ; there
he stayed eighteen days, and entered into a careful discussion with the con-
ventual assembly of that church on the reformation of spiritual and
temporal matters. On the feast of St. Edmund he went to Evesham, and
for evident reasons deposed Roger the abbat of that church, appointing
Ralph prior of Worcester in his stead. In the same year, too, died
Geoffrey Fitz-Peter justiciary of England." — M. Paris.

a.d. 1213.] john's submission to the pope. 269

our own free will and consent, and by the general advice of
our barons, assign and grant to God, and his holy apostles
Peter and Paul, and to the holy church of Home our mother,
and to our lord pope Innocent and his catholic successors,
the whole kingdom of England and the whole kingdom of
Ireland, with all their rights and appurtenances, in remission
of the sins of us and our whole race, as well for those living
as for the dead ; and henceforth we retain and hold those
countries from him and the church of Rome as vicegerent,
and this we declare in the presence of this learned man Pan-
dulph, subdeacon and familiar of our lord the pope. And we
have made our homage and sworn allegiance to our lord the
pope and his catholic successors, and the church of Rome in
manner hereunder written ; and we will make our homage
and allegiance for the same in presence of our lord the pope
himself, if we are able to go before him ; and we bind our
successors and heirs by our wife for ever, in like manner, to
do homage and render allegiance, without opposition, to the
supreme pontiff for the time being, and the church of Rome.
And in token of this lasting bond and grant, we will and
determine that, from our own income and from our special
revenues arising from the aforesaid kingdoms, the church of
Rome shall, for all service and custom which we owe to them,
saving always the St. Peter's pence, receive annually a
thousand marks sterling money ; that is to say, five hundred
marks at Michaelmas, and five hundred at Easter ; that is,
seven hundred for the kingdom of England, and three hundred
for Ireland ; saving to us and our heirs all our rights, pri-
vileges, and royal customs. And as we wish to ratify and
confirm all that has been above written, we bind ourselves
and our successors not to contravene it ; and if we, or any
one of our successors, shall dare to oppose this, let him,
whoever he be, be deprived of his right in the kingdom. And
let this charter of our bond and grant remain confirmed for
ever. Witness myself at the house of the knights of the
Temple near Dover, in the presence of Henry archbishop of
Dublin, John bishop of Norwich, Geoffrey Fitz-Peter,
William earl of Salisbury, William earl of Pembroke, Re-
ginald count of Boulogne, William earl Warenne, Sayer earl
Winton, William earl of Arundel, William earl of Ferrars,
William Briuere, Peter Fitz-Herebert, and Warin Fitz-

270 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1213.

Gerald, this fifteenth day of May, in the fourteenth year of
our reign.

Of king John's homage to the pope and church of Rome.

This charter of the king's, as above-mentioned, having
been reduced to writing, he delivered it to Pandulph to be
taken to pope Innocent, and immediately afterwards in the
sight of all, he made the underwritten homage : " I, John, by
the grace of God, king of England and lord of Ireland, will,
from this time as formerly, be faithful to God, St. Peter, the
church of Rome, and to my liege lord pope Innocent and his
catholic successors ; I will not act, speak, consent to> or
advise, anything by which they may lose life or limb, or be
exposed to caption by treachery ; I will prevent damage to
them if I am aware of it ; and, if in my power, will repair it ;
or else I will inform them as soon as in my power so to do,
or will tell it to such a person as I believe will be sure to in-
form them of it ; any purpose which they may entrust to me
themselves, or by their messengers or letters, I will keep
secret, and, if I know of it, will not disclose it to any one to
their injury; I will assist in holding and defending the in-
heritance of St. Peter, and particularly the kingdoms of
England and Ireland, against all men, to the utmost of my
power. So may God and the holy gospel help me, Amen." —
This happened, as we said before, on the eve of Ascension-
day, in the presence of the bishops, earls, and other nobles.
The day of our Lord's Ascension on the morrow was looked
for with mistrust, not only by the king, but by all others, as
well absent as present, on account of the assertions of Peter
the hermit, who, as was stated before, had prophesied to
John that he would not be a king on Ascension-day or after-
wards. But after he had passed the prefixed day, and con-
tinued safe and in health, the king ordered the aforesaid
Peter, who was detained a prisoner in Corfe Castle, to be tied
to the horse's tail at the town of Wareham, dragged through
the streets of the town, and afterwards hung on a gibbet,
together with his son. To many it did not seem that he de-
served to be punished by such a cruel death for declaring the
truth ; for if the circumstances, stated above to have hap-
pened, be thoroughly considered, it will be proved that he
did not tell a falsehood.

A.D. 1214.] PANDIjLPH'S RETURN TO FRANCE. 271

How Puivjulph returned to France with a portion of the confiscated

property restored.

After this, Pandulph crossed the sea into France, taking
with him these aforesaid charters, and also eight thousand |
pounds sterling money, that he might in part make restitu-
tion for their losses to the archbishop, bishops, and monks,
of Canterbury, and others who were living in exile on ac-
count of the interdict. As the purport of the charters and
the form of the aforesaid peace gave satisfaction to all of
them, Pandulph strongly advised the aforesaid bishops to
return peaceably to England, to receive there the rest of the
indemnity-money. After this, he earnestly advised the
French king, who had made preparations to invade England
by force, to desist from his purpose and to return home in
peace ; for he could not, without offending the supreme
pontiff, attack England or the king himself, since that
monarch was ready to give satisfaction to God, the holy
church, and its ordained ministers, as well as to obey the
catholic commands of our lord the pope. The French king
was much enraged when he heard this, and said that he had
already spent sixty thousand pounds in the equipment of his
ships, and in providing food and arms, and that he had
undertaken the said duty by command of our lord the pope,
and for the remission of his sins ; and to speak the truth,
the said king would not have yielded to the suggestions of
Pandulph, only that Philip count of Flanders refused to
follow him, for that prince had made a treaty with the king
of the English, and would not act contrary to his agreement.
Moreover the count said that the war, which he had under-
taken to subdue the English king, was unjust, since none of
his ancestors till then had claimed any right in the kingdom
of England ; he added moreover, that the French king had
unjustly seized on his the count's lands and castles, and was
then detaining his inheritance against the laws of justice;
and these were his reasons for refusing to go with him to
England.

How the king of the French made an attack on the count of Flanders,

The French king was greatly enraged at these words of
the count of Flanders, and, having no confidence in him,
ordered him to leave his court at once ; and after his de-

272 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A'D- 1214-

parture he invaded the count's territories, destroying every
place he came to by fire, and putting the inhabitants to the
sword. He also gave orders to the sailors and commanders
of his fleet, who, as we said before, had been waiting at the
mouth of the river Seine, equipped with stores and arms, to
set sail without delay towards Swine, a port of Flanders,
and to make all haste to come to him there, which they did.
The count of Flanders, who was much alarmed at this attack
of the French king, sent word of it in all haste to John,
earnestly imploring him to send some troops to help him. At
this news the English king sent to the assistance of the
count, his brother William earl of Salisbury, William duke
of Houtland, and Reginald count of Boulogne, able soldiers,
with five hundred ships and seven hundred knights, with a
large number of soldiers horse and foot ; and these nobles,
setting sail with a fair wind, soon arrived at the port of
Swine. On their arrival there they were astonished to be-
hold such a concourse of shipping, and by means of scouts
they learned that this was the French king's fleet, which
had lately arrived, and they also found out that there
were scarcely any in charge of it except a few sailors ; for
the soldiers, to whose charge it had been entrusted, were
gone out to collect booty, and were ravaging the counts
territory. When the chiefs of the English army learned
this, they flew to arms, fiercely attacked the fleet, and, soon
defeating the crews, they cut the cables of three hundred
of their ships loaded with corn, wine, flour, meat, arms, and
other stores, and sent them to sea to make for England ;
besides these they set fire to and burned a hundred or more
which were aground, after taking all the stores from them.
By this misfortune the French king and almost all the rans-
marine nobility lost all their most valuable possessions.
Afterwards, some of the English nobles, incited by ani-
mosity beyond bounds, burst forth from their ships, mounted
and armed, and set off in hot pursuit of those of the French
who had fled from the slaughter ; but the French king, who
was not far off from the conflict, sent some of his most trusty
soldiers to keep the enemy in check, and to find out for
certain who they were. They accordingly took to their
arms and soon met with the hostile party, and both parties
engaged; but the English nobles were put to flight with

A.D. 1214.] ABSOLUTION OF THE KING. 273

loss, and with difficulty escaped to their ships ; and after

they had re-embarked, the French returned to their own

quarters. To the lung's inquiries as to what had happened,

and whence the strangers had come, the soldiers said that it

was the army of the king of England which had been sent

,to the assistance of the count of Flanders, and they then

related the misfortune which had happened and the irrepara-

! ble damage done to his fleet ; on learning which king Philip

; retired in confusion from Flanders with great loss to himself

and to his followers.

The king of England absolved at Winchester.

The English king, on hearing what had taken place in
Flanders, was greatly rejoiced, and in the joy of his mind at
knowing that the approach of the French king was sus-
pended at least for a time, he ordered the nobles and the
whole army which he had collected near the sea-coast, for

j the defence of their country, to return to their homes ; he
then sent a large sum of money to the soldiers in Flanders,
and promising them the assistance of the emperor, to in-
vade the French king's territory with fire and sword.
The king himself assembled a large army at Portsmouth,
intending to cross over into Poictou, determining to harass
the French king and his kingdom in the western parts,
as those who were in Flanders did in the east, and to
use all his endeavours to recover the territories he had lost
to his dominion. But things turned out contrary to his
expectations, for the English nobles refused to follow him
unless he was previously absolved from the sentence of
excommunication. In this difficulty, then, the king sent the
warrants of twenty-four earls and barons to the aforesaid
archbishop and bishops for greater security, telling them to
lay aside all fear, and to come to England, there to receive

, all their rights, and the indemnity for the property they had
been deprived of according to the terms of the above written
peace. By the advice of Pandulph, therefore, when all was
ready for their return home, Stephen archbishop of Canter-
bury, and the bishops William of London, Eustace of Ely,
Hubert of Lincoln, and Giles of Hereford, embarked in com-
pany with others of the clergy and laity who were in exile
on account of the interdict, and, landing at Dover on the

VOL. II. T

274 KOGER OF WENDOVER. [4.D. 1214.

16th of July, they set out to see the king, and came to him
at Winchester on St. Margaret the virgin's day. The king,
when he heard of their approach, went out to meet them,
and when he saw the archbishop and bishops, he prostrated
himself at their feet, and besought them in tears to have
compassion on him and the kingdom of England. The said
archbishop and bishops, seeing the king's great humility,
raised him from the ground, and taking him by, the hand on
each side, they led him to the door of the cathedral church,
where they chanted the fiftieth psalm, and, in the presence
of all the nobles, who wept with joy, they absolved him
according to the custom of the church. At this absolution,
the king swore on the holy gospels that he would love
holy church and its ordained members, and would, to the
utmost of his power, defend and maintain them against all
their enemies ; and that he would renew all the good laws of
his ancestors, especially those of king Edward, would annul
bad ones, would jujlg^ frig sjihi^t^^ooj^jj^g- to f,bp jnst de-
crees oflnscpurts. and would restore his rights to each and
alT IKTlrfsoswore that, before the next Easter, he would
make restitution of confiscated property to all who were
concerned in the matter of the interdict ; and if he did not
do so, he would consent to have the former sentence of
excommunication renewed. He moreover swore fealty and
obedience to pope Innocent and his catholic successors, as
was contained in the above-written charter : the archbishop
then took the king into the church, and there performed
mass, after which the archbishop, bishops, and nobles, feasted
at the same table with the king, amidst joy and festivity.
The next day the king sent letters to all the sheriffs of the
kingdom, ordering them to send four liege meu from each
town in their demesne, together with the warden, to St.
Alban's on the 4th of August, that through them and his
other agents he might make inquiries about the losses and
confiscated property of each of the bishops, and how much
was due to each. He then set out in all haste to Ports-
mouth, that he might thence cross to Poictou, and gave charge
of the kingdom to Geoffrey Fitz-Peter and the bishop of
Winchester, with orders that they were to consult with the
archbishop of Canterbury in arranging the business of the
kingdom. On the king's arrival at Portsmouth, there came.

A.D. 1214.] DECLARATION OF LAWS. 275

to him there an immense number of knights, complaining that,
during their long stay there they had spent all their money,
and that therefore unless they were supplied with money
from the treasury, they could not follow him. This the
king refused, but, flying into a rage, he embarked with
his private attendants, and after three days landed at
Guernsey, whilst his nobles returned home ; and the king,
seeing himself thus abandoned, was compelled to return to

England himself.

Declaration of taws and rights.

Whilst this was passing, Geoffrey Fitz-Peter and the
bishop of Winchester held a council at St. Alban's with the
archbishop, bishops, and nobles of the kingdom, at which the
peace made by the king was told to all, and, on behalf of the
said king, it was strictly ordered, that all the laws of his
grandfather king Henry should be kept by all throughout
ttle^kihga^m, and that all unjust laws should be utterly
abolished; the sheriffs, foresters, and other agents of the
king were forbidden, as they regarded life and limb, to extort
anything from any one by force, or to inflict injuries on any
one, or to make tallage any where in the kingdom as had
been their custom. King John in the meantime, finding
himself deserted by some of the nobles as we have said,
collected a large army to bring these rebellious ones to their
duty ; but as soon as he had begun to take up arms, the
archbishop went to him at Northampton and told him, that it
would redound very much to the injury of the oath which he
had taken on his absolution, if he were to make war against
any one without the decision of his court; the king,
hearing this, angrily said that he wlSuTcTnot put off the
business of the kingdom on the archbishop's account, as lay
matters did not pertain to him. The next day therefore he
set out on his march in a rage, taking the way to Nottingham,
the archbishop, however, still followed him, boldly declaring
that, unless he desisted from his undertaking, he would
anathematize all who made war against any one before being
absolved from an interdict, besides himself alone, and thu3
the archbishop diverted the king from his purpose, and did
not leave him till he had prevailed on the king to name a
convenient day for the barons to come to his court, and there
submit to justice.

T 2

278 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1214.

The reason of the irritation of the barons against the king.

On the 25 th of August in the same year, Stephen arch-
bishop of Canterbury, with the bishops, abbats, priors, deacons,
and barons of the kingdom assembled at St. Paul's, in the city
of London, and there the archbishop granted permission to
the conventual churches, as well as to the secular, priests, to
chant the services of the church in a low voice, in the hearing
of their parishioners. At this conference, as report asserts,
the said archbishop called some of the nobles aside to him,
and conversed privately with them to the following effect,
" Did you hear," said he, " how, when I absolved the king
at Winchester, I made him swear that he would do away
with unjust laws, and would recall good laws, such as those
of king Edward, and cause them to be observed by all in the
kingdom ; a charter of Henry the first king of England has
just now been found, by which you may, if you wish it,
recall your long-lost rights and your former condition."
And placing a paper in the midst of them, he ordered it to
be read aloud for all to hear, the contents of which were as
follows : —

" Henry by the grace of God king of England, to Hugh
de Boclande justiciary of England, and all his faithful sub-
jects, as well French as English, in Hertfordshire, greeting. —
Know that I, by the Lord's mercy, have been crowned king
by common consent of the barons of the kingdom of England ;
and because the kingdom has been oppressed by unjust
exactions, I, out of respect to God, and the love which I feel
towards you, in the first place constitute the holy church of
God a free church, so that I will not sell it, nor farm it out,
nor will I, on the death of any archbishop, bishop, or abbat,
take anything from the domain of the church or its people,
until his successor takes his place. And I from this time do
away with all the evil practices, by which the kingdom of
England is now unjustly oppressed, and these evil practices
I here in part mention. If any baron, earl, or other subject
of mine, who holds possession from me, shall die, his heir
shall not redeem his land, as was the custom in my father's
time, but shall pay a just and lawful relief for the same ; and
in like manner, too, the dependants of my barons shall pay

A.D,

1214.] CHARTER OF HENRY I. 277

a like relief for tlieir land to their lords. And if any baron
or other subject of mine shall wish to give his daughter, his
sister, his niece, or other female relative, in marriage, let him
ask my permission on the matter ; but I will not take any of
his property for granting my permission, nor will I forbid his
giving her in marriage except he wishes to give her to an
enemy of mine; and if on the death of a baron or other
subject of mine, the daughter is left heiress, I, by the advice
of my barons, will give her in marriage together with her
land ; and if on the death of a husband the wife is surviving
and is childless, she shall have her dowry for a marriage
portion, and I will not give her away to another husband
unless with her consent ; but if a wife survives, having
children, she shall have her dowry as a marriage portion, as
long as she shall keep herself according to law, and I will
not give her to a husband unless with her consent ; and the
guardian of the children's land shall be either the wife, or
some other nearer relation, who ought more rightly to be so ;
and I enjoin on my barons to act in the same way towards
the sons and daughters and wives of their dependants. More-
over the common monetage, as taken throughout the cities
and counties, such as was not in use in king Edward's time,
is hereby forbidden ; and if any one, whether a coiner or any
other person, be taken with false money, let strict justice be
done to him for it. All pleas and all debts, which were clue
to the king my brother, I forgive, except my farms, and
those debts which were contracted for the inheritances of
others, or for those things which more j ustly belong to others.
And if any one shall have covenanted anything for his
inheritance, I forgive it, and all reliefs which were contracted
for just inheritances. And if any baron or subject of mine
shall be ill, I hereby ratify all such disposition as he shall
have made of his money ; but if through service in war or
sickness he shall have made no disposition of his money, his
wife, or children, or parents, and legitimate dependants, shall
distribute it for the good of his soul, as shall seem best to them.
If any baron or other subject of mine shall have made
forfeiture, he shall not give bail to save his money, as was
done in the time of my father and my brother, but according
to the degree of the forfeiture ; nor shall he make amends for
his fault as he did in the time of my father or of my other

278 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- 1214-

ancestors ; and if any one shall be convicted of treason or
other crime, his punishment shall be according to his fault.
I forgive all murders committed previous to the day on which
I was crowned king ; but those which have been since com-
mitted, shall be justly punished, according to the law of king
Edward. By the common advice of my barons, I have
retained the forests in my possession as my father held them.
All knights, moreover, who hold their lands by service, are
hereby allowed to have their domains free from all amerce-
ments and from all peculiar service, that as they are thus
relieved from a great burden, they may provide themselves
properly with horses and arms., so that they may be fit and
ready for my service and for the defence of my kingdom. I
bestow confirmed peace in all my kingdom, and I order it to
be preserved from henceforth. I restore to you the law of
king Edward, with the amendments which my father, by the
advice of his barons, made in it. If any one has taken any-
thing of mine, or of any one else's property, since the death of
my brother king William, let it all be soon restored without
alteration ; and if any one shall retain anything of it, he shall,
on being discovered, atone to me for it heavily. Witness
Maurice bishop of London, William elect of Winchester,
Gerard of Hereford, earl Henry, earl Simon, earl Walter
Gifford, Robert de Montfort, Roger Bigod, and many others."
When this paper had been read and its purport understood
by the barons who heard it, they were much pleased with it,
and all of them, in the archbishop's presence, swore that
when they saw a fit opportunity, they would stand up for their
rights, if necessary would die for them ; the archbishop, too,
faithfully promised them his assistance as far as lay in his
power; and this agreement having been settled between
them, the conference was broken up.

Of the hereby of the Albigenses, and the declaration of a crusade
against them.

f About that time the depravity of the heretics called
Albigenses, who dwelt in Gascony, Arumnia, and Alby,
gained such power in the parts about Toulouse, and in the
kingdom of Arragon, that they not only practised their
impieties in secret as was done elsewhere, but preached their
erroneous doctrine openly, and induced the simple and weak-

A.D. 1*214.] CRUSADE AGAINST THE ALBIGENSES. 279

minded to conform to them. The Albigenses are so called
from the city of Alba, where that doctrine is said to have
taken its rise. At length their perversity set the anger of
God so completely at defiance, that they published the books
of their doctrines amongst the lower orders, before the very
eyes of the bishops and priests, and disgraced the chalices
and sacred vessels in disrespect of the body and blood of
Christ. Pope Innocent was greatly grieved at hearing these
things, and he immediately sent preachers into all the
districts of the west, and enjoined to the chiefs and other
Christian people as a remission of their sins, that they should
take the sign of the cross for the extirpation of this plague,
and, opposing themselves to such disasters, should protect the
Christian people by force of arms ; he also added, by autho-
rity of the apostolic see, that whoever undertook the business
of overthrowing the heretics according to his injunction,
should, like those who visited the Lord's sepulchre, be pro-
tected from all hostile attacks both in property and person.
At this preaching such a multitude of crusaders assembled,
as it is not to he credited could have assembled in our
country.

Of the movements of the crusaders against the Albigenses.

When therefore they were all assembled and prepared for
battle, the archbishop of Narbonne, the legate of the apostolic
see in this expedition, and the chiefs of the army, namely
the duke of Burgundy, the count of Nevers, and the count
de Montfort, struck their camp and marched to lay siege to
the city of Beziers. But before they got to it the lords of
some of the castles, having little confidence in themselves,
fled at the sight of their army; the knights and others who
were left in charge of the said castles, went boldly as good
catholics and surrendered themselves with their property, as
well as the castles to the army of the crusaders ; and, on the
eve of St. Mary Magdalen, they surrendered the noble castle
of Cermaine to a monk, the lord of the castle, who also pos-
sessed several others of great strength, having taken to flight.
They warned the citizens of Beziers, through the bishop of
that city, under penalty of excommunication, to make choice
of one out of two alternatives ; either to deliver the heretics
and their property into the hands of the crusaders, or else to

2 SO ROGER OF WEN DOVER. [a.D. 1214.

send them away from amongst them, otherwise they would
be excommunicated, and their blood be on their own heads.
The heretics and their allies scornfully refused to accede to
this, and mutually swore to defend the city ; and, when they
had pledged their faith, they hoped to be able for a long time
to sustain the assaults of the crusaders. After the city was
laid siege to, on the feast of St. Mary Magdalen, the catholic
barons considered how they could save those amongst them
who were catholics, and made overtures for their liberation ;
but the rabble and low people, without waiting for the com-
mand or orders of the chiefs, made an assault on the city,
and, to the astonishment of the Christians, when the cry to
arms was raised, and the army of the faith was rushing in all
directions to the assaults, those who were defending the walls
inside threw out the book of the gospel from the city on
them, blaspheming the name of the Lord, and deriding their
assailants; "Behold," they said, "your law, we take no heed
to it ; yours it shall be." The soldiers of the faith, incensed
by such blasphemy and provoked by their insults, in less
than three hours' time crossed the fosse and scaled the walls,
by the Lord's assistance. Thus was the city taken, and on
the same day it was sacked and burnt, a great slaughter of
the infidels taking place as the punishment of God ; but,
under his protection, very few of the catholics were slain.
After the lapse of a few days, when the report of this miracle
was spread abroad, the Lord scattered before the face of the
crusaders, as it were without their assistance, those who had
blasphemed his name and his law, and at length the followers
of this heretical depravity were so alarmed that they tied to
the recesses of the mountains, and what may be believed,
they left more than a hundred untenanted castles, between
Beziers and Carcassone, stocked with food and all kinds of
stores, which they could not take with them in their flight.

The capture of the city and castle of Carcassone*

The crusaders, moving their camp from this place, arrived
on the feast of St. Peter "ad vincula" at Carcassone, a
populous city, and till now glorying in its wickedness,
abounding in riches, and well fortified. On the following
day they made an assault, and within two or three hours
they crossed the entrenchments and scaled the walls amidst

A.D. 1214.] DEFEAT OF THE ALBIGENSES. 281

showers of missiles from the cross bows, and the blows of the
lanees and swords of its wicked defenders. After this they
set up their engines of war, and on the eighth day the greater
suburb was taken after a great many of the enemy, who had
incautiously exposed themselves, were slain, and the suburbs
of the city, which seemed larger than the body of the town,
were altogether destroyed. The enemy being thus confined
in the narrow streets of the city, and suffering as well from
their numbers as from want of provisions more than is cre-
dible, offered themselves and all their property, together with
the city to the crusaders, on condition of their lives being
preserved out of mercy, and of being saved for at least one
day. After holding a council, therefore, the barons received
the city almost as it were under compulsion; in the first
place because, in men's opinion, it was deemed impregnable;
for another reason because, if that city were altogether de-
stroyed, there would not be found a nobleman of the army
who would undertake the government of that country, as
there would not be a place in the subdued land where he
could reside. Therefore, that the land, which the Lord had
delivered into the hands of his servants, might be preserved
to his honour and the advantage of Christianity, the noble
Simon de Montfort earl of Leicester was, by the common con-
sent of prelates and barons, chosen as ruler of that country ;
and into his hands was delivered as a prisoner the noble
Roger, formerly viscount and ruler of that country, together
with the whole of the province, including about a hundred
castles, which, within one month, the Lord designed to restore
to the catholic unity ; and amongst these same castles were
several of such strength that there would have been, in the
opinion of men, but little cause to fear any army. After
effecting this, the count of Nevers and a large part of the
army returned home, whilst the illustrious duke of Burgundy
and the rest of the nobles proceeded with their army to the
extirpation of this heretical depravity, and after this they de-
livered into the hands of earl Simon de Montfort several
more castles which they took either by fair means or by
threats.

Messengers sent to Toulouse by the crusaders.

As the city of Toulouse had been reported to have been

282 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1214.

long tainted with this pestiferous sin, the barons sent special
messengers, namely, the archbishop of Santonge, the bishop
of Foroli, the viscount of St. Florentius, and the lord Accald de
Roussillon, to the inhabitants of that city with letters from
them, ordering them to deliver up to the army of the crusaders
the heretics of that city, and all their property. But if by
chance they should say that they were not heretics ; that
those who were signified and expressed by name should come
to them to make a plain declaration of their faith, according
to Christian custom, before the whole army ; and should they
refuse to do this they would, by the same letters, excom-
municate their chief officers and counsellors, and place the
whole town of Toulouse with its dependencies under an
interdict. In this year,* on the fourteenth of October, Geoffrey
Fitz- Peter, justiciary of England, closed his life.

* " In the course of the same year, during the following summer, there
sprang up in France a false doctrine never before heard of : for a certain
youth, who was a boy in age, but of vile habits, at the instigation of the
devil, went about amongst the cities and castles of France, chanting in
French these words : " 0 Lord Jesus Christ, restore to us the holy cross ! " with
many other additions. And when the rest of the boys of his own age saw and
heard him, they followed him in endless numbers, and, being infatuated by
the wiles of the devil, they left their fathers and mothers, nurses, and all
their friends, singing in the same way as their teacher; and, what was
astonishing, no lock could detain them, nor could the persuasions of their
parents recall them, but they followed their said master towards the Medi-
terranean sea, and, crossing it, they marched on in procession singing. No
city could hold them on account of numbers ; their leader was placed in a
car ornamented with a canopy, and was attended by armed guards raising
their shouts around him. They were so numerous that they squeezed one
another together, and that one thought himself happy who could gain a
thread or a shred of his garment. But at last, their old enemy Satan
plotted against them, and they all perished either on land or by sea.

Of the death of Geoffrey Fitz- Peter.
In the same year Geoffrey Fitz-Peter, justiciary of all England, a man
of great power and authority, died on the second day of October, to the great
grief of the kingdom. This man was a firm pillar of the church, and was a
noble-minded man, learned in the laws, treasures, and revenues, was strength-
ened by good works, and was allied either by blood or the ties of friend-
ship to all the nobles of England : the king on this account feared him
more than all the rest of his subjects, without having any regard for him;
for he held the reins of government ; and therefore at his death England
was like a ship at sea without a pilot. This disturbance commenced on the
death of Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, a noble and a faithful man; and
after the deaths of these two men, England could not breathe. On the
death of the said Peter being told to king John, he laughingly said, " When

A.D. 1213.] DEATH OF THE KING OF ARRAGOX. 283

Of the death of the king of Ar rayon at Murclles.
About this time the king of Arragon, after being crowned
at Rome by pope Innocent, although he had received a most
strict injunction not to render assistance or show kindness to

he gets to hell, let him greet Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, for he will
doubtless find him there " And then turning to those sitting round him
he added, saying, " By the feet of the Lord, I am now for the first time
king and lord of England." Then from that time he had more free
power to act in opposition to his oaths and agreements, which he had made
with the said Geoffrey, and to release himself from the fetters of the peace
in which he had involved himself. He was therefore sorry that he had
been led to give his consent to the aforesaid peace.

King John in despair sent messengers to the emir Murmelius,

He therefore immediately sent secret messengers, namely, the knights
Thomas Hardington and Ralph Fitz-Nicholas, and Robert of London a
clerk, to the emir Murmelius the great king of Africa, Morocco, and Spain,
who was commonly called Miramumelinus, to tell him that he would
voluntarily give up to him himself and his kingdom, and if he pleased would
hold it as tributary from him ; and that he would also abandon the Christian
faith, which he considered false, and would faithfully adhere to the law of
Mahomet. When the aforesaid messengers arrived at the court of the
above-named prince, they found at the first gate some armed knights keep-
ing close guard over it with drawn swords. At the second door, which wag
that of the palace, they found a larger number of knights, armed to the
teeth, more handsomely dressed, and stronger and more noble than the
others, and these closely guarded this entrance with swords drawn : and at
the door of the inner room there was a still greater number, and, according
to appearance, stronger and fiercer than the former ones. Having at length
been led in peaceably by leave of the emir himself, whom they called the
great king, these messengers on behalf of their lord the king of England
saluted him with reverence, and fully explained the reason of their coming,
at the same time handing him their king's letter, which an interpreter, who
came at a summons from him, explained to him. When he understood its
purport, the king, who was a man of middle age and height, of manly de-
portment, eloquent and circumspect in his conversation, then closed the
book he had been looking at, for he was seated at his desk studying. At
length after deliberating as it were for a time with himself he modestly
replied, w I was just now looking at the book of a wise Greek and a
Christian named Paul, which is written in Greek, and his deeds and
words please me much ; one thing however concerning him displeases me,
and that is, that he did not stand firm to the faith in which he was born,
but turned to another like a deserter and a waverer. And I say this
with regard to your lord the king of the English, who abandons the most
pious and pure law of the Christians, under which he was born, and
desires, flexible and unstable that he is, to come over to our faith." And
he added, " The omniscient and omnipotent God knows that, were I without
a law, I would choose that law before all others, and having accepted it
would strictly keep it." He then inquired what was the condition of the
king of England and his kingdom ; to which Thomas, as the most eloquent

284 ROGER OF TVENDOVER. [A.D. 1213,

the enemies of the faith, not devoutly attending to the com-
mands of the holy father, contumaciously began to kick
against the apostolic mandate. For as soon as he returned
home, he joined the heretics in that very country which had

of the messengers, replied : " The king is illustriously arid nobly descended
from great kings, and his territory is rich, and abounds with all kinds of
wealth, in agriculture, pastures, and woods; and from it also every kind of
metal may be obtained by smelting. Our people are handsome and in-
genious, and are skilled in three languages, the Latin, French, and English,
as well as in every liberal and mechanical pursuit. Our country, however,
does not of itself produce any quantity of vineyards or olive trees, nor fir
trees, but of these it procures an abundance from adjoining countries by way
of trade. The climate is salubrious and temperate; it is situated between
the west and the north; and, receiving heat from the west, and coid from
the north, it enjoys a most agreeable temperature. It is surrounded entirely
by the sea, whence it is called the queen of islands. The kingdom has,
from times of old, been governed by an anointed king, and our people are
free and manly, and acknowledge the domination of no one except God.
Our church and the services of our religion are more venerated there than
in any part of the world, and it is peacefully governed by the laws of the
pope and of the king." The king at the conclusion of this speech drew a
deep sigh and replied : Ci I never read or heard that any king possessing
such a prosperous kingdom subject and obedient to him, would thus volun-
tarily ruin his sovereignty by making tributary a country that is free, by
giving to a stranger that which is his own, by turning happiness to misery,
and thus giving himself up to the will of another, conquered as it were with-
out a wound. I have rather read and heard from many that many would
procure liberty for themselves at the expense of streams of their blood,
which is a praiseworthy action ; but now I hear that your wretched lord, a
sloth and a coward, who is even worse than nothing, wishes, from a free man
to become a slave, who is the most wretched of all human beings." After
this he asked, although contemptuously, what was his age, size, and strength;
in reply he was told that he was fifty, entirely hoary, strong in body, not
tall, but rather compact and of a form suited for strength. The king on
hearing this, said : " His youthful and manly valour has fermented, and now
begins to grow cool ; within ten years, if he lives so long, his valour will fail
him before he accomplishes any arduous enterprize; if he should begin now
he would fall to decay, and would be good for nothing; for a man of fifty
sinks imperceptibly, but one of sixty gives evident signs of decaying. Let
him again obtain peace for himself and enjoy rest." The emir, then, after
reading over all the questions and answers of the messengers, after a short
silence burst into a laugh, as a sign of indignation, and refused king John's
offer in these words : " That king is of no consideration, but is a petty
king, senseless and growing old, and I care nothing about him ; he is un-
worthy of any alliance with me ;" and, regarding Thomas and Ralph with
a grim look, he said : n Never come into my presence again, and may your
eyes never again behold my face; the fame, or rather the infamy of that
foolish apostate, your master, breathes forth a most foul stench to my
nostrils." The messengers were then going away with 3hame, when the

A.D. 1213.] MARRIAGE OF KING JOHN. 285

been just recovered, under God, by the assistance of the
crusaders, and uniting with the counts of Toulouse, Foix, and
Commenges, he with the citizens of Toulouse and a large
army on the third day of the week after the nativity of

emir beheld Robert the clerk, who was the third of the messengers, and who
was a small dark man, with one arm longer than the other, and having
ringers all misshapen, namely, two sticking together, and with a face like a
Jew. Thinking, therefore, that such a contemptible looking person would
not be sent to manage a difficult business unless he were wise and clever,
and well understood it, and seeing his cowl and tonsure, and finding by it
that he was a clerk, the king ordered him to be called; for when the others
had been speaking he had till now stood silent at a distance from him. He
therefore kept him and sent away the others, and then had a long secret in-
terview with him, the particulars of which the said Robert afterwards
disclosed to his friends. The said king asked him if king John was a man
of moral character, and if he had brave sons, and if he possessed great
generative power; adding that, if Robert told him a lie in these matters, he
would never believe a Christian again, especially a clerk. Robert then, on
his word as a Christian, promised to give true answers to all the questions
which he put to him. He therefore answrered affirmatively that John was
a tyrant rather than a king, a destroyer rather than a governor, an oppresser
of his own people, and a friend to strangers, a lion to his own subjects, a
lamb to foreigners and those wTho fought against him; for, owing to his sloth-
fulness, he had lost the duchy of Normandy and many other of his terri-
tories, and moreover was eager to lose the kingdom of England or to destroy
it; that he was an insatiable extorter of money, and an invader and destroyer
of the possessions of his own natural subjects; he had begotten few strong
children, or rather none at all, but only such as took after their father; he
had a wife who was hateful to him and who hated him; an incestuous, evil
disposed, adulterous woman, and of these crimes she had been often found
guilty, on which the king ordered her paramours to be seized and strangled
with a rope on her bed ; yet nevertheless this same king was envious of
many of his nohles and relations, and violated their marriageable daughters
and sisters; and in his observance of the Christian religion he is wavering
and distrustful, as you have heard." When the king emir heard all this, he
not only disdained John as he had before done, but detested him;
and, according to his own law cursed him; adding, i( Why do the
wretched English permit such a man to reign, and lord it over them ?
they are indeed effeminate and servile." Robert replied: "The English
are the most patient of men until they are offended and injured be-
yond endurance; but now, like a lion or an elephant, when he feels
himself hurt or sees his blood, they are enraged, and are proposing
and endeavouring, although late, to shake the yoke of the oppressor
from their necks." When the king emir heard this, he blamed the too
easy patience of the English, which the interpreter, who had been present all
the time, rightly asserted to be fear. The said king conversed on many other
subjects besides this with Rohert, all which the latter afterwards told to his
friends in England. He then made him several costly presents of gold and
silver, various kinds of jewels and silks, and dismissed him on friendly terms;

286 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1213.

St. Mary, laid siege to the castle of Murelle. At this news
the venerable fathers, the bishops of Toulouse, Nismes,
St. Agatha, Bourdeaux, Uzes, Louvaine, and Commenges,
and the abbats of Clairvaux, Magneville, and St. Tiberius,

but the other messengers he neither saluted when they left him, nor did he
honour them with any presents. They then returned home and told John
all that they had seen and heard, on which he wept in bitterness of spirit at
being despised by the king Emir, and at being balked in his purpose.
Robert however liberally regarded the king from the foreign gifts bestowed
on him, so that it was evident he had been received more favourably than
the others, though at first he had been repulsed and kept silence ; on which
account the king honoured him more than the others, and by way of reward
this wicked extortioner bestowed on him the charge of the abbacy of
St. Alban's, although it was not vacant, so that this transgressor of the
faith remunerated his own clerk with the property of another. This Robert
then, without consulting, yea even against the will of the temporary abbat,
John de Cell, a most religious and most learned man, seized on everything
which was then in the church and the convent at pleasure, and appropriated it
to his own use ; and in each bailiwick, which we call obediences, he ap-
pointed a porter, as a careful and resolute searcher of everything, by which
means the aforesaid clerk, Robert, cheated that house of more than a
thousand marks. He, however, had a regard for some of the chief servants
of the abbat, and a monk of St. Alban's, namely, Laurence knight of the
seneschal, Laurence a clerk, and Master Walter a monk and painter, and
them he kept as his familiars, to whom he showed his jewels and other
in secret presents from the emir, and related what had passed between them,
the hearing of Matthew, who has written and related these events.

King John resolves to place England under the papal rule.
From that time then king John began to strengthen his purpose, from
which he had thought to retract, and to make his condition worse and
worse, to the detriment of the whole kingdom ; he hated, like viper's poison,
all the men of noble rank in the kingdom, and especially Sayer de Quency,
Robert Fitz- Walter, and Stephen archbishop of Canterbury. He also
knew and had learnt by manifold experience, that the pope was beyond all
other men ambitious and proud, and an insatiable thirster after money,
and ready and apt to perform any sin for a reward or on the promise of one.
He therefore sent messengers with orders of speed and by them transmitted
a large sum of money to him with a promise of more, and assured him that
he was, and always would be, subject and tributary to him on condition that
he would, when an opportunity occurred, endeavour to abase the archbishop
of Canterbury, and excommunicate the barons of England, whose part he
had formerly taken ; and he eagerly longed for this that he might glut his evil
disposition by disinheriting, imprisoning, and slaying them when excommuni-
cated. And these plans, which he had wickedly raked up, he more wickedly
carried into execution, as will be related hereafter.

King John entertains evil opinions of the faith.
About this time king John became so foolish that he conceived evil
thoughts about the resurrection of the dead, and other matters connected

A. D. 1213.] FLIGHT OF THE EMIR. 287

all of whom the archbishop of Narbonne, the legate of the
apostolic see had ordered to assemble for the purpose of
managing the business of the crusade, set out together with
Simon de Montfort, and an army of crusaders, to render
assistance to the besieged castle. On the Wednesday of the
above-mentioned week they arrived at a castle called Savar-
don, whence they sent messengers to the besieging com-
manders at Murelle, saying that they were come to treat
with them about peace, and therefore they wished safe con-

with the Christian religion, and gave utterance to some unmentionable
foolish sayings, of which, however, we have thought proper to relate one.
Jt happened that a very fat stag had been taken in the hunt, and when it
was being skinned in the king's presence he laughed, and said in mockery,
" Oh how fat this animal has grown without ever hearing mass."

The emir Murmelius is conquered and takes to flight.

About this time the king, or emir, Murmelius, of whom mention was
made above, with a large army which he had collected, with John's consent,
as is said, determined to take forcible possession of the kingdom of Spain ;
and he was inspired with this boldness by the wavering faith of king John,
and the interdict on that kingdom. When, however, the Christian followers
of the king of Spain heard of this, they bravely opposed him, and dispersed
his whole army, and drove them from the country, after slaying his eldest
son and capturing his royal standard. In this battle the king of Arragon
would have gained immortal renown, if he had not been elevated by pride
and contumaciously exacted from Simon de Montfort the whole of the land
which he had gained from the Albigenses to be held by him, in spite of the
prohibition of the pope who had asked for the same, whereby he kindled a
fierce war against himself.

About th:s t me the king of Arragon, who had been crowned by pope
Innocent at Rome, and received from that pontiff a strict order not to give
assistance or show favour to the enemies of the faith, disregarded the order
of his father the pope, and after the victory over the emir Murmelius began
to backslide, doing all the injury in his power to the aforesaid Simon ; he
also allied himself with the heretic x\lbigenses, and, in company with some
knights, fled and joined the people of Toulouse. R. de Beders too with his
Bederans summoned together an immense number of his fellow provincials,
and having thus raised a large army, laid siege to the castle of Murelle on
the Tuesday after the nativity of St. Mary. On hearing this the venerable
fathers, the bishops of Toulouse, Nismes, Agde, Bourges, Utica, Loches,
Carcassone, Elmo, and St. Malo, and the abbats of Clerac, Mandeville,
and St. Giles, and many other illustrious men whom the archbishop of
Narbonne, the legate of the apostolic see, &c. &c. — All in Matthew Paris's
hand. Fiom this point in the C.C.C. MS. the continuation of the history
in the text has been compiled by Matthew Paris, and has been written by
the same hand as the Cotton MS. The text of Wendover is not left, but
additions and alterations are made as well in the body of the work as by-
Paris himself, as it would appear, in the margin.

288 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D' 1213.

duct to be granted them. On the following day, as the
urgency of the case so much required it, the crusading army
left Savardon, and hurried to the assistance of the castle of
Murelle ; the aforesaid bishops, however, determined to stay
at a castle called Hanterive, half-way between Savardon and
Murelle, about two leagues from either of them, there to
await the return of their messengers ; these when they did
return brought word to the bishops from the king of Arragon,
that he would not grant safe conduct to them, because, having
come with such a large army, they did not want it. The
bishops, when they heard this, entered Murelle with the
crusading army on Wednesday of the same week, and
immediately sent two religious men to the king and the
inhabitants of Toulouse, but they received with derision from
the king the answer, that they wanted to have a conference
with him on account of the four ribalds, which the bishops
had brought with them ; but the citizens of Toulouse told
them, the messengers, that they were allies of the king of
Arragon, and would not do anything except the said king's
pleasure. When the messengers had related this to the
bishops, the latter determined to go unshod in company with
the abbats to the king ; but when their approach in this way
was made known to the king, the gates of the city having
been thrown open, and earl Montfort and all the crusaders
being unarmed, because the bishops were gone to treat for
peace, the enemies of God treacherously attempted to force
their way into the town, but by the grace of God they were
balked in their design. The earl and the crusaders, seeing
their pride, and being themselves wholesomely cleansed from
their sins by contrition of heart and verbal confession, put on
their armour and went to the bishop of Toulouse, who by
authority of the lord archbishop of Narbonne, was discharg-
ing the functions of the legateship there, and humbly asked
his permission to sally forth against the enemies of the faith.
As matters were at a crisis permission was granted them, and
in the name of the Holy Trinity they sallied out in three
bodies, but the enemies of the faith, on the other hand, came
forth from their well fortified camp in several masses of
troops, and although they were a host in comparison with the
crusaders, the servants of Christ, trusting to his assistance,
and armed with valour from on high, bravely attacked them.

A.D. 1213.] ARRIVAL OF BISHOP NICHOLAS. 289

And immediately the virtue of the Most High, by the hands
of his followers, broke through the enemy, crushing them in
a moment; for they turned their backs and fled like dust
before the wind; some escaped death altogether by flight,
some escaping the sword perished in the water, while others
were slain on the field. For the illustrious king of Arragon
.who fell amongst the slain, much grief is to be felt that he
united with the enemies of the faith, and wickedly annoyed
the catholic church.* A correct account of the number slain
cannot be given by any means ; but of the crusaders one
knight only besides a few of the soldiers fell. This battle
took place on the sixth day of the week after the octaves of
the nativity of St. Mary, in the month of September, 1213.

The arrival in England of Nicholas bishop of Tusculum, and legate of the

apostolic see.

About Michaelmas of the same year, Nicholas bishop of
1 Tusculum and legate of the apostolic see, came to England
to settle, by the apostolic authority, the disagreements be-
tween the throne and the priesthood, and although the
( country was under an interdict, he was everywhere
honourably received with solemn processions, with music,
and by the people dressed in holiday clothes ; and on his
arrival at Westminster, he immediately degraded William
| the abbat, who was accused by his monks of wasteful expen-
diture and incontinency. At that place there came to him
seeking absolution the citizens of Oxford, by whose agency
and presumption the two clerks, of whom we have made
mention above, had been hung; in appointing penance for
them he, amongst other things, ordered them to go to each
of the churches of the city, laying aside their garments, and
with naked feet, carrying scourges in their hands, and there
to chant the fiftieth psalm, and thus obtain absolution from
the parochial priests ; and they were only allowed to go to
one church on each day, that they and all others might be
afraid to show such presumption in future. Thus the legate,

* " Earl Simon knew from his scouts that the king of Arragon was ready
to sit down to tfible to take his breakfast, and on receiving the information he
jokingly said, when he was sallying out, c Of a truth I will wait on him at
the first dish.' And the said king was the first who was killed, being
pierced by a sword before he had swallowed three mouthful s of bread." —
M. Paris.

VOL. II. U

290 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1213.

who had come into England with only seven horsemen in his
train, shortly walked abroad with a train of fifty, and at-
tended by a numerous household. At length the archbishop
of Canterbury, with the bishops and nobles of the kingdom,
met at London in presence of the king and of the cardinal,
and there for three days a discussion was carried on between
the throne and the priesthood as to the losses of the bishops,
and their confiscated property; on behalf of the king, an
offer was made, as a full restitution, of a hundred thousand
marks of silver, to be paid immediately ; and if on inquiry it
could be found that the guardians of the churches or other
agents of the king had taken away more, he the said king
made oath and gave security, that, by the decision of the
bishops and the legate himself, he would before the ensuing
Easter make satisfaction in full for all their confiscated
property. The legate agreed to this, wishing it to be settled
immediately, and was indignant that the offer was not ac-
cepted at once ; and on this account it was suspected that
the legate took the king's side more than was right. The
bishops however prolonged the business, objecting to the
terms offered, in order that they might, after holding a
council, make inquiry as to the confiscated property and
their losses, and might state the amount thus found out to
the king, and at the same time receive what they demanded.
The king hearing of this delay, which suited him, at once
gave his consent, and thus they went away on that day
without settling their business.

How king John resigned his crown with the kingdoms of England and
Ireland into the hands of the legate.

On the following day they all again assembled in the
cathedral church at St. Paul's, where after many and divers
discussions about the removal of the interdict, before the
great altar in presence of the clergy and people, that noto-
rious though dishonourable submission was again exacted
trom the king, by which he resigned his crown and kingdom
into the hands of the pope, and surrendered the dominion of
Ireland as well as the kingdom of England ; the charter of
the king too, which had been before sealed with wax and
delivered to Pandulph, was now stamped with gold, and
resigned to the legate for the use of our lord the pope and

A.D. 1213.] LETTER OF POPE INNOCENT. 291

the church of Rome ; and for the restitution of the confiscated
property, they appointed to meet at Reading on the 3rd of
November. On the appointed day, when all had as before
assembled, the king did not make his appearance, but on
the third day after they again all assembled at Wallingford ;
and there the king, as before, willingly promised that he
would satisfy the bishops and all the rest for the property
which had been confiscated ; but this seemed of little use to
those whose castles had been thrown down, houses destroyed,
and whose orchards and woods had been cut down ; there-
fore the king and the bishops alike agreed to abide by the
decision of four barons, and thus all would be satisfied by
their decision. On the 6th of November they again assem-
bled at Reading, the king and the legate, the archbishop and
bishops, the nobles, and all the religious men connected with
the business of the interdict, and at this conference they each
and all produced a paper containing the amount of the con-
fiscated property and their losses ; but as the legate showed
favour to the king, the payment of all was postponed except
in the case of the archbishop and bishops who had been so
long exiled from England, who there received fifteen marks
of silver.

Pope Innocent to Nicholas bishop of Tusculum, about the vacant churches.

At this time pope Innocent sent letters to Nicholas, legate
of the apostolic see, to the following purport : " As the Lord's
churches cannot better be provided for than when suitable
pastors are appointed to them, who will desire not so much
to have authority over them as to promote their welfare, we,
by these apostolic letters, enjoin your brotherhood, in whom
we have full confidence, to cause suitable persons, according
to your own judgment, to be ordained to the bishoprics and
abbacies in England now vacant, either by election or by
canonical appointment, who shall be remarkable, not only for
their mode of life, but also for their learning, and at the same
time faithful to the king, and of use to the kingdom, and also
efficacious in giving assistance and advice, the king's consent
being previously obtained. When therefore we by our
letters command the chapters of the vacant churches to
abide by your advice, do you, always having the Lord in
view, consult on these matters with prudent and honourable

u 2

292 ROGEU OF WENDOVER. [±.D. 1214.

men, who may fully be aware of the merits of persons, less
you may be overreached by the craft of any one; but if any
shall gainsay you or prove contumacious, do you, by means
of the censure of the church, compel them to obey, without
appeal. Given at the Lateran, on the first of November, in
the sixteenth year of our pontificate." The legate, on re-
ceiving this authority from the pope, rejected the advice of
the archbishop and bishops of the kingdom, and, going to
the vacant churches with the clerks and agents of the king,
presumed to make appointments to them, according to the
old evil custom of England, of persons little suited to those
offices ; and some of various orders, who, on manifest cause
of complaint, appealed to the hearing of the supreme pontiff,
he suspended and sent to the court of Rome, and to them he
showed himself so destitute of humanity, that he did not
allow them even one penny out of their own money to pay
their expenses on the journey. Moreover he distributed the
parochial churches which were vacant in various places
amongst his own clerks without asking the consent of the
patrons ; for which he deserved the malediction of many
instead of their benediction, inasmuch as he changed justice
into injury, and judgment into forejudging.

The appeal of the archbishop of Canterbury as to the appointments of
vacant churches.

a.d. 1214. King John at Christmas held his court at
Windsor, when he distributed festive dresses to a number
of his nobles. Afterwards, Stephen archbishop of Canter-
bury, and his suffragans, met at Dunstable to discuss the
affairs of the English church there ; for they were beyond
measure annoyed that the legate, as we have before stated,
in attending to the king's pleasure without consulting with
them, had appointed unfit persons to the vacant churches
more by force than by canonical election. After various
discussion on one subject and another, the archbishop of
Canterbury at length sent two clerks to Burton on the Trent,
where the legate then was, to forbid him, by the interpo^
sition of an appeal on the part of the archbishop of Canter-
bury, to appoint prelates in the vacant churches in disregard
of his, the archbishop's, high office, to which the appointment
to the churches in his own diocese of right belonged. The

A.D. 1214.] KING JOHN AT POICTOU. 293

legate however paid no attention to this appeal, but, by the
king's consent, despatched the before-named Pandulph to
the court of Rome to counteract the intentions of the arch-
bishop and bishops ; on his arrival there he, in presence of
the supreme pontiff, vilified the character of the archbishop
in no slight degree, but he extolled the king of England with
so much praise, declaring that he had never before seen
such a humble and moderate king, that John gained great
favour in the eyes of the pope. One person at that court
however opposed Pandulph, which was master Simon de
Langton, brother of the archbishop of Canterbury ; but, as the
gold-sealed charter of the subjection and tribute of the king-
doms of England and Ireland had been lately brought to our
lord the pope by Pandulph, master Simon could not obtain
a hearing for his opposing arguments. Moreover the said
Pandulph declared in the presence of the pope, that the
archbishop and bishops were too strict and covetous in their
exactions, and about the restitution of the property confiscated
at the time of the interdict, and that they oppressed the king
himself and the rights of the kingdom in an unjust manner.
And thus the purpose of the archbishop and bishops was
delayed for a time.

How Jang John crossed sea to Poictou.

In the same year king John sent a large sum of money to
the chiefs of his army in Flanders, to enable them to harass
the king of the French, and to ravage his territory, and
destroy his castles in their hostile incursions ; they therefore,
in obedience to the king's commands, laid waste the territory
of the count de Guisne with fire and sword ; they laid siege
to the castle of Bruncham and destroyed it, taking away in
chains a number of knights and their attendants who had
been obliged to surrender themselves ; they also besieged
Arria, and, after subduing it, destroyed it by fire. They
took the castle of Liens by assault, slaying a great many, and
imprisoning those who were taken ; they also ravaged the
territory of Louis son of the French king, in that district.
King John himself after having sent messengers to Pome for
the withdrawal of the interdict, embarked on the day of the
Purification of St. Mary at Portsmouth, accompanied by his
queen, and in a few days landed with a large army at

294 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1214.

Rochelle ; and at news of his arrival, several barons of Poictou
came and swore fealty to him. Afterwards proceeding in
great force, he reduced a great many castles belonging to his
enemies; but whoever wishes to know more of what hap-
pened there, let him read the letters sent by the king to the
justiciaries of the treasury.

King John's letter about his proceedings in Poictou,

" John, by the grace of God, fyc. — Be it known to you, that
when the truce was at an end which we had granted to the
counts of La March and Augi, and as we found them not
disposed to make a peace suitable to us, we on the Friday next
preceding Whitsuntide, crossed with our army to Miervant,
a castle belonging to Geoffrey de Lusignan ; and although
many might not believe that it could be taken by assault,
we, on the day after, which was the eve of Whitsuntide,
took it by force after one assault, which lasted from early in
the morning till one o'clock. On Whitsunday we laid siege
to another castle of this same Geoffrey's, called ' Novent,' in
which Geoffrey with his two sons had shut themselves ; and
when, after repeated discharges from our petraries for three
days, a fitting opportunity for taking the aforesaid castle was
approaching, the count de la March came to us, bringing it
about that the aforesaid Geoffrey threw himself on our
mercy, together with his two sons, his castle, and every thing
in it. Whilst we were still there, news was brought us that
Louis, son of the king of France, had laid siege to a castle be-
longing to the same Geoffrey called 'Muneuntur ;' on hearing
this, we immediately turned in that direction to meet him, so
that on the day of the Holy Trinity we were at Parthenay, and
there the counts de la March and Augi came to us with the
aforesaid Geoffrey de Lusignan, and did homage and swore
fealty to us. And, because we had formerly treated witPi
the count de la March as to giving our daughter in marriage
to his son, we granted that favour to him, although the king
of the French had requested her for his son, but with trea-
cherous designs ; for we remembered our niece who was
married to Louis, son of that monarch, and the result of that
affair ; and may God grant us more success in this marriage
than in the former one ! Now, by the grace of God, an
opportunity is afforded us of attacking our mortal enemy the

A.D. 1214.] WITHDRAWAL OP TnE INTERDICT. 295

king of the French beyond Poictou. And we inform you
thereof that you may rejoice in our successes. Witness myself
at Parthenay, in the sixteenth year of our reign." On the 24th
of June, in the same year, died Gilbert bishop of Rochester.

Letter of pope Innocent on the withdrawal of the interdict.

About this time pope Innocent wrote to Nicholas bishop of
Tusculum, about the withdrawal of the interdict, as follows :
" Innocent bishop, fyc. Our venerable brother John bishop
of Norwich, and our beloved son Robert de Marisco arch-
deacon of Northumberland, and the nobles Thomas and Adam
de Hardington, the ambassadors of our well-beloved in Christ,
John the illustrious king of England of the one part, and
master Stephen de Langton A. and G. clerks, messengers of
our beloved brother Stephen archbishop of Canterbury of the
other part, having appeared before us, have, by common con-
sent and deliberately declared, that, to avoid great loss of
property and serious danger to their souls, it was necessary
to the kingdom as well as the priesthood that the sentence of
interdict be withdrawn without delay ; wherefore we, in our
paternal regard have, for their preservation and for the ad-
vantage of peace, carefully entertained the matter between
them, and at length, with their acquiescence, we have devised
and determined on the underwritten terms : — " Let the afore-
said king pay to the archbishop of Canterbury, and the
bishops of London and Ely, or to others whom they may
appoint to receive it, so much money as, when added to what
the said king has already paid to us, shall amount to the sum
of forty thousand marks ; on the payment of which by him,
and his giving the undermentioned security, do you im-
mediately withdraw the sentence of interdict, doing away with
all appeal or gainsaying. And after this he must pay twelve
thousand marks yearly, at two fixed periods, namely, six
thousand marks on the commemoration of All Saints, and
the same number at the feast of our Lord's ascension, until
the whole amount be paid. And, for the due fulfilment of
this, the said king has bound himself by his own oath and by
letters patent under his own seal, and also by the suretyship
of the bishops of Winchester and Norwich, the earls of Win-
chester and Chester, and William Marshal ; that the heirs o :'
the said king and their successors shall be held bound by a

296 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [<*■**• 1214.

similar engagement ; wherefore we command you, by these
our apostolic letters, to proceed in this matter according to
the form above-named, unless the parties of their own free-
will determine to settle the matter otherwise. Given at the
Lateran in the sixteenth year of our pontificate."

Of the restitution of the confiscated property.

At the time when Nicholas bishop of Tusculum, legate of
the apostolic see, received this warrant by the messengers of
our lord the pope, the king of England was in the transmarine
provinces; but as he had, on leaving England, entrusted his
part in this business to the legate and William Marshal, the
said legate convened a grand council at St. Paul's in the city
of London, at which were assembled the archbishops, bishops,
abbats, priors, earls, barons, and others concerned in this
affair of the interdict. The said legate there explained to all
the terms of restitution of the confiscated property, and of
satisfaction for losses which had been arranged by the pope
at Koine with the consent of the parties ; and he clearly
ordered that a certificate should be given of the quantity of
money paid to the bishops and others by the king's agents on
account of the interdict ; so that, by what money had been
paid, it might be known how much remained to be paid. It
was there proved by a sure computation, that the archbishop
and the monks of Canterbury, with the bishops of London,
Ely, Hereford, Bath, and Lincoln had, before they returned
to England from their exile, received twelve thousand marks
of sterling money by the hands of Pandulph ; also that, since
their arrival, the said bishops and the monks aforesaid had,
at the council which was held at Reading on the sixth of
December, received fifteen thousand marks to be divided
amongst them ; and this sum, together with the former one
received, made a total of twenty-seven thousand marks. The
other fifteen thousand which remained to be paid to make up
the before-mentioned complement of forty thousand marks,
remained under the suretyship of the bishops of Winchester
and Norwich, with letters patent from the king besides for
further security, according to what was contained in the
letters of our lord the pope.

Of the withdrawal of the interdict.

After thus arranging matters, on the apostles, St. Peter

a.d. 1214.] john's army in brittany. 297

and St. Paul's day, Nicholas bishop of Tusculum, legate of
the apostolic see, went to the cathedral church, and there
amidst the ringing of bells and the chanting of the " Te
Deum," solemnly revoked the sentence of interdict which had
lasted for six years, three months, and fourteen days.

How the legate put off the restitution of the confiscated property.

On the removal of the interdict, as above-mentioned, the
legate was beset by an innumerable multitude of abbats,
priors, templars, hospitallers, abbesses, nuns, clergy and laity,
asking for satisfaction to be made to them for losses and
injuries suffered by them during the time of the interdict ;
for they asserted that, although they had not left England,
they had endured the incessant persecution of the king and
his agents, both in person and property, until all their pro-
perty being confiscated and their persons ill used, they knew
not whither to turn from the fury of their enemies. But the
legate in reply to this multitude of complainants, said that of
their losses and injuries no mention had been made in the
pope's letters, wherefore he ought not and could not lawfully
go beyond the bounds of the apostolic mandate ; but he
nevertheless advised them to lay a complaint of their losses
and injuries before the pope, and to ask for full justice to be
shown to them. On hearing this, however, the whole of that
assembly of complaining prelates, having no hope of better
luck, returned again to their homes. In the same year, on the
day of St. Kenelm, the king and martyr, John abbat of the
church of St. Alban's, a religious and learned man, closed his
life at a good old age, in the nineteenth year of his pre-
lateship.*

How king John led his army into Brittany.

About this time king John led his army forward from
Poictou into Lesser Britain, and there stayed three days and
three nights. On arriving near a city called by the inhabi-
tants Nantes, he determined to attack it ; but the citizens
and knights who had been left in charge of the place by the

* About that time Ralph of Arundel, abbat of Westminster, was deposed
by the aforesaid legate on the day after the feast of St. Vincent, his seal
having been broken in the chapter-house by N. abbat of Westham, who was
sent on behalf of the legate; in Ralph's place was appointed William de
Humes, prior of Frontignac, a monk of Caen.

298 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1214.

French king, on learning the approach of the English
monarch, went out to meet him, and at a bridge not far from
the city they gave battle to the English king's, army ; but
king John, by good luck, gained the victory, taking twenty
knights in the battle, and amongst the rest the son and heir
of Robert de Drus, uncle of the French king ; this knight the
king loaded with chains, and took away with him on his
return. After this the said king marched with his army to
the castle of Rocheau Maine, and laid siege to it ; on hearing
which Louis, son of the French king, who had been sent by
his father to check the incursions of king John, hastened with
a large army to the assistance of the besieged. The English
king, when he learned their approach, sent scouts from his
army to find out the number and strength of the approaching
enemy ; these messengers, soon performing the duty assigned
to them, returned ond told the king that he, the English
king, had a much larger force, and therefore earnestly per-
suaded him to engage the enemy in open battle, because, by
doing this, he would without doubt gain a victory over the
enemy. He therefore, being inspirited by the information of
his messengers, ordered his soldiers to arms as soon as possi-
ble, to give open battle to Louis, but the barons of Poictou
refused to follow the king, saying that they were not pre-
pared for a pitched battle. King John then, knowing too
well the accustomed treachery of the nobles of Poictou,
although the capture of the castle was almost certain, retired
in great annoyance from the siege. Louis too, when he
heard that the English king had moved his camp, feared that
he would attack him, and fled in an opposite direction from
king John's ; and thus each army ignominiously taking to
flight, turned their backs on one another.

How the king of the French marched against the army of the English king

in Flanders,

At this time the English king's army in Flanders
had spread its ravages through several provinces, and was
now laying waste Poictou in a most relentless manner; in
this expedition were the warlike and tried men William duke
of Holland ; Reginald, formerly count of Boulogne ; Ferrand
count of Flanders ; and Hugh de Boves, a brave soldier
though a cruel and proud man, for he showed his cruel dig-

A.D. 1214.] BATTLE OF B0CV1NES. 299

position in those regions by sparing neither the female sax
nor the young children. King John had appointed his brother
William earl of Salisbury, marshal over that army, and over
the knights ^bf the kingdom, to fight in conjunction with them,
and also to give the pay from the treasury to the other soldiers.
These warriors were moreover assisted and favoured by Otho
the Roman emperor, with all the forces of the dukes of
Louvaine and Brabant, who were equally exasperated against
the French. When all these proceedings came to the know-
ledge of Philip king of the French, he was much alarmed lest
he should be unable to defend that part of the country,
having lately sent his son Louis with a large army into
Poictou to oppose the English king, and to check his hostile
incursions there ; and although the said king often thought
on the common proverb —

" Whose mind to many schemes is bent,
On each can scarcely be intent."

He however collected an army of earls, barons, knights, and
soldiers, horse and foot, together with the commoners of the
cities and towns, and advanced in great force to meet his
enemies, giving orders to the priests, religious men, clerks
and nuns, to give alms, to offer prayers to God, and to per-
form services for the firm standing of his kingdom ; after
which he boldly marched with his army against the enemy.
Hearing that the latter had already arrived as far as the
bridge of Bovines in the territory of Pontoise, he led his
forces in that direction, and arriving at the aforesaid bridge,
he crossed the river with his army, and there pitched his
camp. The heat of the sun was very great, as is usual in
the month of July, on which account the French determined
to halt near the river for the sake of refreshing the men as
well as horses. They arrived at the before-mentioned river
on a Saturday, about the hour of evening ; and, having
arranged the carts, waggons, and all the vehicles in which
they conveyed their food and arms, engines of war and
weapons ; to the right and left they appointed watches all
round, and rested there for the night. When morning came,
and the English commanders were informed that the French
king had arrived, they held a council, and unanimously de-
termined to give open battle to the enemy ; but, as it was

300 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1214.

Sunday, it seemed to the more prudent men of the army, and
especially to Reginald, formerly count of Boulogne, that it
was improper to engage in battle on such a festival, and to
profane such a day by slaughter and the effusion of human
blood. The Roman emperor Otho coincided in this opinion,
and said that he had never gained a triumph on such a day ;
on hearing this Hugh de Boves broke forth into blasphemy,
calling count Reginald a base traitor, and reproaching him
with the lands and large possessions he had received as gifts
from the king of England ; he added also that, if the battle-
was put off that day, it would redound to the irreparable loss
of king John, for " delays are always dangerous when things
are ready." But count Reginald, in reply to the taunts of
Hugh, said indignantly, " This day will prove me faithful,
and you the traitor ; for even on this very Sunday, if neces-
sary, I will stand up in battle for the king, even to the death,
and you, according to your custom, will, by fleeing from the
battle, show yourself a most base traitor in the presence of
all. By these and other abusive words of the said Hugh,
the whole multitude were stirred up and excited to battle ;
they therefore all flew to arms and boldly prepared for fight-
ing. When all were armed, they arranged themselves in
three bodies, over the first of which they appointed Fer-
rand count of Flanders, Reginald earl of Boulogne, and
William earl of Salisbury, as commanders ; the command of
the second they gave to William duke of Holland, and
Hugh de Boves, with his Brabant followers ; the command
of the third was assigned to Otho the Roman emperor
and his fighting men : and in this manner they slowly
marched forth against the enemy, and arrived in sight of
the French army. When the French king saw that his
enemies were prepared for a pitched battle, he ordered the
bridge in his rear to be broken down, that, in ca&e any of
his army should endeavour to fly, they should have no where
to fly except amongst the enemy. The French king having
drawn up his troops, surrounded by his waggons and other
vehicles, as already mentioned, there awaited the assault of
his enemies. In short, the battalions commanded by the
above-named counts burst upon the ranks of the French
with such impetuosity, that in a moment they broke their
ranks, and forced their way even up to where the French

A.D. 1*214.] BATTLE OF BOUVINES. 301

king was. Count Reginald, when he saw the king who had
disinherited him and expelled him from his county, couched
his lance against him, and having forced him to the ground,
was preparing to slay him with his sword ; but one of the
soldiers, who had been appointed as a body-guard for the
king, exposed himself to the blows of the count and was
killed in his stead. The French, seeing their king on the
ground, rushed impetuously and in great force to his assist-
ance, and re-mounted him on his horse ; then the battle raged
on both sides, swords glistened like lightning around hel-
meted heads, and the conflict was most severe on both sides.
The before-mentioned counts with the body of troops under
their command had become separated from the rest of their
fellow soldiers, and their retreat, as well as the advance of
the rest of the army to their succour was stopped ; and thus
their small body not being able to withstand the attacks of
such numbers of the French, at length gave way, and in this
manner the aforesaid counts with the whole of the band
which they commanded, were, after showing great bravery,
taken and made prisoners.

Conclusion of the battle.

Whilst these events were passing round king Philip, the
counts of Champagne, Perche, and St. Paul, with many
other nobles of the French kingdom, made an attack on the
troops above-mentioned to be commanded by Hugh de Boves,
and put that noble to flight, together with all the troops
collected from the different provinces ; and in their base
•flight they were pursued at the sword's point by the French
as far as the position of the emperor ; therefore, after their
flight, all the weight of the battle was in an instant thrown
on the latter. The above-named counts then summoned him
and endeavoured to slay him or to compel him to surrender ;
but he, holding his sword, sharp on one side like a knife,
with both hands, dealt such insupportable blows on all sides,
that he either stunned all whom he struck, or levelled riders
and horses with the ground. His enemies, fearing to come
too near him, killed three horses under him with their lances,
but by the bravery of his troops, he was each time re-
mounted, and renewed his attacks more fiercely; at length
his enemies left him and his followers unconquered, and he

302 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1214.

retreated from the battle without harm to himself or his
followers. The king of the French, in his joy for such an un-
expected victory, gave thanks to God for having granted
him such a triumph over his enemies. The three counts
above named, with a great number of knights and others,
were taken away to be imprisoned. This battle took place
on the 27th of July. By this misfortune the English king
ineffectually spent the forty thousand marks which he had
taken from the monks of the Cistercian order' during the
time of the interdict, thus verifying the proverb,
" Inglorious spoil will never end in good."
When at length the news of this event came to king John's
knowledge he was thrown into dismay, and said to those about
him, " Since I became reconciled to God, and submitted myself
and my kingdoms to the church of Rome, woe is me, nothing
has gone properously with me, and every thing unlucky has
happened to me." In this same year John bishop of
Norwich, when returning from the court of Rome, died in
the territory of Poictou, and his body was brought to Eng-
land, and buried with honour in the church at Norwich.

Of a truce made between the French and English kings.

After the events above-mentioned, by the intervention of
religious men, a truce was agreed on in the transmarine
provinces between Philip and John, the French and English
kings, in this form : — " Philip, by the grace of God, king of
the French, to all who shall see these letters, greeting. Be it
known to you, that we have granted to king John and his
men who have appeared in the field on his behalf since this
last war, up to the Thursday next after the exaltation of the
Holy Cross in September, a truce in due form from us and
our men, who have appeared on the field in our behalf, until
next Easter, that shall be in the year of our Lord 1215, and
for five full years after the said Easter ; saving however to
us, our prisoners whom we have in our power, and saving
the oath which the towns of Flanders and Hainault made to
us ; and saving in a like manner to king John the prisoners
he has in his power. And we and our subjects and adven-
turers will remain in the same position as we were on the
aforesaid Thursday, till the end of the aforesaid five years.
And those who are to dictate and arrange the terms of this

A.B. 1214.] CONFERENCE OF BARONS. 303

truce made between us and the king of England, shall be, on
behalf of us, P. Savary, Guy Turpin, abbat of Marmontier,
and G . archdeacon of Tours ; on behalf of the king of Eng-
land, Hugh de Bourg seneschal of Poictou, R. de Ponte
abbat of St. John in England, and the dean of Christaton.
And all these have sworn in good faith that, for the settle-
ment of all differences and complaints which may arise in
Poictou, Anjou, Brittany, or Tours, they will meet at the
convent of Fulcirelle ; and for other complaints which may
arise in Bourges, Auvergne, the counties of La Marche and
Limosin, they will meet to arrange matters in those pro-
vinces." On the 5th of October in this year Richard dean
of Salisbury, and Walter de Gray chancellor of England,
were, by Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, consecrated
bishops, the former to the church of Chichester, and the
latter to that of Winchester. About this time too, on the
19th of October, king John, having settled all his business in
the transmarine provinces, returned home to England.

Of a conference held by the barons against king John.

About this time the earls and barons of England assem-
bled at St. Edmund's, as if for religious duties, although it was
for some other reason ; for after they had discoursed together
secretly for a time, there was placed before them the charter
of king Henry the First, which they had received, as men-
tioned before, in the city of London from Stephen archbishop
of Canterbury. This charter contained certain liberties and
laws granted to the holy church as well as to the nobles of
the kingdom, besides some liberties which the king added of
his own accord. All therefore assembled in the church of
St. Edmund, the king and martyr, and, commencing from
those of the highest rank, they all swore on the great altar
that, if the king refused to grant these liberties and laws,
they themselves would withdraw from their allegiance to
him, and make war on him, till he should, by a charter
under his own seal, confirm to them every thing they re-
quired ; and finally it was unanimously agreed that, after
Christmas, they should all go together to the king and
demand the confirmation of the aforesaid liberties to them,
and that they should in the meantime provide themselves with
horses and arms, so that if the king should endeavour to

304 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1215.

depart from his oath, they might by taking his castles,
compel him to satisfy their demands ; and having arranged
this, each man returned home.

Of William, abbat of the church of St. Alban's.

In this year, John, abbat of the church of St. Alban's, was
succeeded by William, a monk of the same church, who was
solemnly elected on the day of St. Edmund the king and
martyr, which was the fifth day of the week, and, on the
day of St. Andrew the apostle, which was the first Sunday
of our Lord's advent, he was pontifically and solemnly con-
secrated before the great altar in St. Alban's church by
Eustace bishop of Ely ; and the promotion of this man is
said to have been shown in a nocturnal vision to some of
the brothers of that monastery, even before the election was
made. The first abbat of the church of St. Alban, the Eng-
lish protomartyr, was Wiilegod, who was appointed abbat,
and ordered to observe a regular course of life on the first of
August in the year of our Lord seven hundred and ninety-
four, by Offa king of the Mercians, after the martyr's body
had been found, and the monks introduced, though the
church was not then built; to Wiilegod succeeded Edric,
Wolsius, Wolnoth, Edfred, Wolsin, Alfric, Eldred, Edmar,
Leofric, who was made archbishop of Canterbury; to him
succeeded Alfric, brother of the said Leofric ; to Alfric suc-
ceeded Leofstan, Frederic, Paul, Eichard, Geoffrey, Ralph,
Robert, Simon, Warin, John, and to John succeeded William
the twenty-second abbat, who was appointed to the office in
the sixteenth year of king John's reign.

Of the demand made by the barons of England for their rights.

a.d. 1215 ; which was the seventeenth year of the reign
of king John ; he held his court at Winchester at Christmas
for one day, after which he hurried to London, and took up
his abode at the New Temple ; and at that place the above-
mentioned nobles came to him in gay military array, and
demanded the confirmation of the liberties and laws of
king Edward, with other liberties granted to them and to
the kingdom and church of England, as were contained in
the charter, and above-mentioned laws of Henry the First;
they also asserted that, at the time of his absolution at Win-

A.D. J 215.] DEATH OF BISIIOr EUSTACE. 305

Chester, he had promised to restore those laws and ancient
liberties, and was bound by his own oath to observe them.
The king, hearing the bold tone of the barons in making this
demand, much feared an attack from them, as he saw that
they were prepared for battle; he however made answer
that their demands were a matter of importance and diffi-
culty, and he therefore asked a truce till the end of Easter,
that he might, after due deliberation, be able to satisfy them
as well as the dignity of his crown. After much discussion
on both sides, the king at length, although unwillingly, pro-
cured the archbishop of Canterbury, the bishop of Ely, and
William Marshal, as his sureties, that on the day pre-agreed
on he would, in all reason, satisfy them all, on which the
nobles returned to their homes. The king however, wishing
to take precautions against the future, caused all the nobles
throughout England to swear fealty to him alone against all
men, and to renew their homage to him ; and, the better to
take care of himself, he, on the day of St. Mary's purification,
assumed the cross of our Lord, being induced to this more
by fear than devotion. In the same year Eustace bishop of
Ely, a man well skilled in divine as well as human know-
ledge, died at Reading.

Of the principal persons who compelled the king to grant the laws and

liberties.

In Easter week of this same year, the above-mentioned
nobles assembled at Stamford, with horses and arms ; for
they had now induced almost all the nobility of the whole
kingdom to join them, and constituted a very large army; for
in their army there were computed to be two thousand
knights, besides horse soldiers, attendants, and foot soldiers,
who were variously equipped. The chief promoters of this
pestilence were Robert Fitz- Walter, Eustace de Vescy,
Richard de Percy, Robert de Roos, Peter de Bruis, Nicho-
las de Stuteville, Saer earl of Winchester, R. earl of
Clare, H. earl Clare, earl Roger Bigod, William de
Munbray, Roger de Creissi, Ranulph Fitz-Robert, Robert
de Vere, Fulk Fitz-Warine, William Mallet, William de
Montacute, William de Beauchamp, S. de Kime, William
Marshall junior, William Maudut, Roger de Mont-Be-
gon, John Fitz-Robert, John Fitz-Alan, G. de Laval,
0. Fitz-Alan, W. de Hobregge, 0. des Yaux, G. de Gant,

VOL. n. x

306 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1215.

Maurice de Gant, R. de Brackele, R. de Muntfichet, W. de
Lanvalei, G. de Mandeville earl of Essex, William his
brother, William de Huntingefeld, Robert de Greslei, G.
constable of Meautun, Alexander de Puinter, Peter Fitz-
John, Alexander de Sutune, Osbert de Bobi, John constable
of Chester, Thomas de M ulutune, and many others ; all of
these being united by oath, were supported by the concur-
rence of Stephen archbishop of Canterbury, who was at their
head. The king at this time was awaiting the arrival of his
nobles at Oxford. On the Monday next after the octaves of
Easter, the said barons assembled in the town of Brack-
ley ; and when the king learned this, he sent the archbishop
of Canterbury, and William Marshal earl of Pembroke, with
some other prudent men, to them to inquire what the laws and
liberties were which they 'demanded. The barons then de-
livered to the messengers a paper, containing in great mea-
sure the laws and ancient customs of the kingdom, and
declared that, unless the king immediately granted them and
confirmed them under his own seal, they would, by taking
possession of his fortresses, force him to give them sufficient
satisfaction as to their before-named demands. The arch-
bishop with his fellow messengers then carried the paper to
the king, and read to him the heads of the paper one by
one throughout. The king when he heard the purport of
these heads, derisively said, with the greatest indignation,
"Why, amongst these unjust demands, did not the barons
ask for my kingdom also ? Their demands are vain and
visionary, and are unsupported by any plea of reason what-
ever." And at length he angrily declared with an oath, that
he would never grant them such liberties as would render
him their slave. The principal of these laws and liberties,
which the nobles required to be confirmed to them, are
partly described above in the charter of king Henry, and
partly are extracted from the old laws of king Edward, as
the following history will show in due time.

The castle of Northampton besieged by the barons.

As the archbishop and William Marshall could not by any
persuasions induce the king to agree to their demands, they
returned by the king's order to the barons, and duly reported
all they had heard from the king to them ; and when the

A.D. 1215.] LONDON YIELDED TO THE BARONS. 307

nobles heard what John said, they appointed Robert Fitz-
Walter commander of their soldiers, giving him the title
of " Marshal of the army of God and the holy church,"
and then, one and all flying to arms, they directed their
forces towards Northampton. On their arrival there they
at once laid siege to the castle, but after having stayed there
for fifteen days, and having gained little or no advantage,
they determined to move their camp ; for having come with-
out petrarise and other engines of war, they, without accom-
plishing their purpose, proceeded in confusion to the castle
of Bedford. At that siege the standard-bearer of Robert
Fitz- Walter, amongst others slain, was pierced through the
head with an arrow from a cross-bow and died, to the grief
of many.

How the city of London was given up to the barons.

When the army of the barons arrived at Bedford, they
were received with all respect by William de Beauchamp.
There also came to them there messengers from the city of
London, secretly telling them, if they wished to get into that
city, to come there immediately. The barons, inspirited
by the arrival of this agreeable message, immediately moved
their camp and arrived at Ware; after this they marched
the whole night, and arrived early in the morning at the city
of London, and, finding the gates open, they, on the 24th of
May, which was the Sunday next before our Lord's ascen-
sion, entered the city without any tumult whilst the inhabit-
ants were performing divine service; for the rich citizens
were favourable to the barons, and the poor ones were afraid
to murmur against them. The barons having thus got into the
city, placed their own guards in charge of each of the gates,
and then arranged all matters in the city at will. They then
took security from the citizens, and sent letters throughout
England to those earls, barons, and knights, who appeared
to be still faithful to tjie king, though they only pretended to
be so, and advised them with threats, as they regarded the
safety of all their property and possessions, to abandon a
king who was perjured and who warred against his barons,
and together with them to stand firm and fight against the
king for their rights and for peace ; and that, if they refused
to do this, they, the barons, would make war against them

x2

308 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1215.

all, as against open enemies, and would destroy their
castles, burn their houses and other buildings, and destroy
their warrens, parks, and orchards. The names of some of
those who had not as yet sworn to strive for these liberties
were, William Marshal earl of Pembroke, Ralph earl of
Chester, William earl of Salisbury, William earl Warrenne,
William earl of Albemarle, H. earl of Cornwall, W. d'Albi-
ney, Robert de Vipont, Peter Fitz-Hubert, Brian de Hsle,
G-. de Lucy, G-. de Furnival, Thomas Basset, Henry de
Braibroc, John de Bassingeburne, William de Cantelu,
Henry de Cornhulle, John Fitz-Hugh, Hugh de Neville,
Philip de Albeney, John Marshal, and William Briuerre ;
the greatest part of these, on receiving the message of the
barons, set out to London and joined them, abandoning the
king entirely. The pleas of the exchequer and of the
sheriff's courts ceased throughout England, because there
was no one to make a valuation for the king or to obey him
in any thing.*

The conference between the king and the barons,

King John, when he saw that he was deserted by almost
all, so that out of his regal superabundance of followers he
scarcely retained seven knights, was much alarmed lest the
barons would attack his castles and reduce them without
difficulty, as they would find no obstacle to their so doing ;
and he deceitfully pretended to make peace for a time with
the aforesaid barons, and sent William Marshal earl of Pem-
broke, with other trustworthy messengers, to them, and told
them that, for the sake of peace, and for the exaltation and
honour of the kingdom, he would willingly grant them the
laws and liberties they required ; he also sent word to the

• st About the same time the king concealed his secret hatred of the
barons under a calm countenance, and planning revenge, caused the seals of
all the bishops to be counterfeited, as it is commonly called, and wrote
word in their names to all countries, that the English were all apostates,
and to be detested by the whole world. And whoever would attack these
apostates, he would bestow on him, with the consent of them, and by
authority of the pope, all their lands and possessions. But when the
people of foreign countries heard these promises, they put no faith in them,
because they knew that the English were of all Christians the most stead-
fast ; and when they discovered the truth they detested such crimes and
falsehoods, and thus the king fell into the net which he had himself
spread." — M. Paris.

A.D. 1215.] MAGNA CI1ARTA. 309

barons by these same messengers; to appoint a fitting day
and place to meet and carry all these matters into effect.
The king's messengers then came in all haste to London, and
without deceit reported to the barons all that had been de-
ceitfully imposed on them ; they in their great joy appointed
the fifteenth of June for the king to meet them, at a field
lying between Staines and Windsor. Accordingly, at the
time and place pre-agreed on, the king and nobles came to
the appointed conference, and when each party had stationed
themselves apart from the other, they began a long discussion
about terms of peace and the aforesaid liberties. There were
present on behalf of the king, the archbishops, Stephen of
Canterbury, and H. of Dublin; the bishops W. of London,
P. of Winchester, H. of Lincoln, J. of Bath, Walter of
Worcester, W. of Coventry, and Benedict of Eochester;
master Pandulph familiar of our lord the pope, and brother
Almeric the master of the knights-templars in England ;
the nobles, William Marshal earl of Pembroke, the earl of
Salisbury, earl Warrenne, the earl of Arundel, Alan de Gal-
wey, | W. Fitz- Gerald, Peter Fitz-Herbert, Alan Basset,
Matthew Fitz-Herbert, Thomas Basset, Hugh de Neville,
Hubert de Burgh seneschal of Poictou, Robert de Ropeley,
John Marshal, and Philip d'Aubeny. Those who were on
behalf of the barons it is not necessary to enumerate, since
the whole nobility of England were now assembled together
in numbers not to be computed. At length, after various
points on both sides had been discussed, king John, seeing
that he was inferior in strength to the barons, without raising
any difficulty, granted the underwritten laws and liberties,
and confirmed them by his charter as follows : —

Charter of king John as to the grant of common rights to the barons.

" John, by the grace of God, king of England, fyc. Be it
known, that we, looking to God and for the safety of our
soul, and those of our ancestors and our heirs, have, for the
honour of God, the exaltation of the holy church, and the
amendment of our kingdom,* conceded to God, and by this

* Paris inserts here : — " By the advice of our venerable fathers, Stephen
archbishop of Canterbury primate of all England, and a cardinal of the
holy Roman church, Henry archbishop of Dublin, and the bishops
William of London, Peter of Winchester Jocelyn of Bath and Glaston-

310 ROGER OF WENDOVETl. [a .D. 1215.

our present charter have confirmed, on behalf of us and our
heirs for ever, that the church of England be a free church,
and keep its laws entire, and its liberties uninfringed, and
we wish it to be observed so, inasmuch as it appears that the
liberty of elections, which is considered to be of the greatest
importance and most necessary to the English church, was
granted by us, of our own free will, and confirmed by our
charter, before any open disagreement had arisen between us
and our barons, and we obtained a confirmation of it from
our lord pope Innocent the third, and we will keep it our-
selves and wish it to be observed by our heirs in good faith
for ever. Also to all our free subjects of the kingdom of
England, we, for ourselves and our heirs for ever, have
granted all the underwritten liberties, to be had and to be
held by them and their heirs from us and our heirs. If &ny
one of our earls, or barons, or any others holding possession
from us in chief by knight's service, shall die, and, after his
decease, his heir shall be of age. and shall owe relief, he
shall take his inheritance by the old relief; that is to say, the
heir or heirs of an earl shall pay a hundred pounds for the
entire barony of the earl, the heir or heirs of a baron a
hundred marks for the whole of his barony, and the heir or
heirs of a knight a hundred shillings at most for the whole
of his knight's fee, and whoever owes less let him pay less,
according to the old custom of fees. But if the heir of any
one of these shall be under age, his lord shall not have
custody of him or his land, before he has received his homage,
and after that such heir shall be in wardship, and attain the
age of twenty-one years, he shall take up his inheritance
without relief or fine ; so that if the heir himself, whilst
under age, be made a knight, nevertheless his land shall
remain in the custody of his lord till the before-named
period. The guardian of the property of an heir under age,

bury, Hugh of Lincoln, Walter of Worcester, William of Coventry, and
Benedict of Rochester, of master Pandulph, sub-deacon and familiar of
our lord the pope, the master of the knights- templars in England, and of
the nobles William Marshall earl of Pembroke, W. earl of Salisbury,
William earl Warrenne, William earl of Arundel, Alan de Lewey constable
of Scotland, Warin Fitz-Gerard, Peter Fitz-Herbert, Hubert de Bourg
seneschal of Poictou, Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz-Herbert, Thomas
Basset, Alan Basset, Philip Daubeney, Robert de Ropesle, John Marshall,
John Fitz-Hugh, and others of our faithful subjects amongst the first."

Jl. D. 1215.] MAGNA CHART A. . 311

shall take from the land of the said heir only reasonable out-
goings, reasonable customs, and reasonable service, and these
•without destruction of, or damage to, person or property.
And if we entrust the guardianship of such land to any one,
either a sheriff or any other, who ought to answer to us for
the outgoings of that land, and he in his guardianship causes
destruction or waste to it, we will take compensation from
him, and the land shall be entrusted to two liege and prudent
men of that fee, who shall in the same way answer to us as
above-mentioned. But the guardian, as long as he holds
charge of the land, shall, from the produce thereof, support
all houses, parks, warrens, lakes, mills, and other appurte-
nances of that land ; and shall, when the heir comes of age,
restore the. land to him furnished with ploughs and all other
things, at least as well as he received it. All these rules
shall be observed in the guardianships of archbishoprics,
bishoprics, abbacies, priories, churches and vacant dignities,
which belong to us, except that the wardships of these ought
not to be sold. Heirs may marry without disparagement.
A widow, after the death of her husband, may immediately,
and without any difficulty, take possession of her marriage
portion, and her inheritance, and shall not give anything for
her dowry, marriage portion, or the inheritance which she
and her husband possessed on the day of that husband's
decease ; and she may remain in the principal house of her
husband for forty days after the death of her said husband,
during which time her dowry shall be allotted to her, unless
it has been previously allotted to her, or unless that house be
a cas'tle ; and if she goes away from a castle, a fitting house
shall be provided for her, in which she can stay in a becom-
ing manner till her dowry is allotted to her, according to
what has been stated above, and she shall have a reasonable
allowance for herself out of the common property ; and there
shall be allotted to her for her dowry a third portion of all
her husband's land, which was his in his life-time, unless she
received less as a dowry at the door of the church. No
widow shall be bound to marry when she wishes to live with-
out a husband ; but if she holds property of us she shall give
security that she will not marry without our consent. And
we and our bailiffs will not seize any land or property for
any debt as long as the chattels of the debtor, then in his

312 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A.D. 1215.

possession, are sufficient to pay the debt and the debtor him-
self is willing to satisfy our demand out of them. And the
debtor's sureties shall not be bound as long as the debtor
personally is able to pay the debt, and if the debtor himself
fails to pay the debt, not possessing means of payment, or
refusing to pay although he is able, his sureties shall be
answerable for the debt ; and if they wish it they shall have
the lands and income of the debtor, until they are satisfied
for the debt, which they have pre-paid for him, unless the
debtor himself shows that he was quit of it to the said
sureties. The city of London* shall have all its old liberties
and its free customs. Moreover we will and grant that all
other cities, towns, and villages, and barons of the cinque
ports, and all our ports, shall have all their liberties and
customs free. No one shall be bound to do greater service

* " Whoever accepts a loan from a Jew, be it more or less, and dies
before paying that debt, the debt shall not be charged with interest as long
as his heir is under age, of whomsoever he may hold ; and if that debt
should fall into our hands we will only seize the chattels mentioned in the
charter. And if any one dies, owing a debt to Jews, his wife shall receive
her dowry, and shall not pay anything for that debt. And if any children
of the deceased survive, who are under age, they shall be provided with
necessaries according to the tenement which the deceased held, and with
what remains the debt shall be paid, saving, however, the service due to
their lords. And the same shall be the case when debts are contracted
with others besides Jews. We will not levy any scutage or tax in our
kingdom without the advice of the kingdom in general, unless it be to
ransom our body, to make a knight of our eldest son, and to marry our
eldest daughter once, and for this only a reasonable tax shall be levied.
And the same shall be observed with regard to the taxes of the city of
London ; and the city of London shall enjoy all its old liberties and free
customs both by land and water. And moreover we will and grant leave
for all other cities, boroughs, and towns, and the barons of the cinque
ports, to enjoy all their liberties and free customs. And in order to obtain
the general opinion of the kingdom as to levying taxes in any cases except
those three above-mentioned, and as to levying scutages, we will summon,
by our letters under our seal, the archbishops, bishops, abbats, earls, and
chief barons of the kingdom. And we will moreover by means of our sheriffs
and bailiffs, summon all others in general, who hold of us in chief, to meet at a
fixed place, and at a fixed time, namely, at the term of forty days at least.
In all our letters of summons we will set forth the cause of that summons ;
and after having thus summoned them the business shall be proceeded with
on the appointed day according to the plans of those who may be present,
although all who were summoned may not have come. Henceforth we do
not permit any one to levy a tax from his freemen, unless to ransom his
body, or to make his eldest son a knight, or to marry his eldest daughter
once, and only a reasonable tax shall be levied for this purpose." — M. Paris.

A.D. 1215.] MAGNA CHARTA. 313

for a knight's fee, or for any other free tenement than he
ought to do for it. The common pleas shall not accompany
our court, but shall be held in some fixed place. Recogni-
zances for new disseising, and the death of an ancestor, shall
only be taken in their own counties and in this manner. We,
or if we are out of the kingdom, our chief justiciary, will
send our justiciaries through each county once a year, who
will, with the knights of the counties hold the before-men-
tioned assize in each county; and those things, which at
their arrival in the counties could not be determined by the
aforesaid messengers at the aforesaid assizes, shall be deter-
mined elsewhere by the same messengers on their journey; and
those things which could not, on account of some difficulty in
the points in question, be determined by the said messengers,
shall be referred to our justiciaries of the bench and there
determined. The assizes concerning the last presentation to
the churches shall always be held before the justiciaries of
the bench, and there determined. A freeman shall be fined
for a small offence only according to the degree of his fault,
and for a great offence according to the greatness of his
offence, saving his tenements ; and, in the same way, a
merchant, saving his merchandize; and a villain of any
other person except ourselves shall be amerced in the same
manner, saving his wannage,* if he throws himself on our
mercy. And none of the aforesaid allowances shall be made,
unless on the oath of tried and lawful men of the neighbour-
hood in the county. Earls and barons shall only be fined by
their peers, and then only according to the degree of their
offence. No ecclesiastic shall be fined according to the
degree of his ecclesiastical benefice, but according to his lay
possessions, and the degree of his offence. No town or
person shall be bound to make bridges over rivers, unless
bound in duty to do so by old custom and by right. No
river shall be embanked anew, unless those which were
embanked at the time of king Henry our grandfather. No
sheriff, constable, or coroner, or other bailiffs of ours shall
hold pleas of our crown. f If any one holding lay fees from

* Farming-stock,
f Paris adds : — " All countries, hundreds, wapentakes, and tithings, shall
be set at their ancient farmage without any increase, except the manors of
our domain."

311 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1215.

us dies, and our sheriff or bailiff shows our letters patent,
with a warning from us of the debt which the deceased owed
us, it shall be lawful for our sheriff or bailiff to attach and
reduce to writing the chattels of the deceased which, are
found in his lay fee, to the value of that debt, according to
the decision of legal men, so that nothing may be moved
from thence till our debt is ascertained and paid, and then
the residue shall be left to the deceased's executor to execute
his will ; and if he owes us nothing, all the chattels shall go out
to the deceased, except reasonable portions for his wife and
his sons.* No constable or bailiff of his shall take the corn or
chattels of any one who does not belong to the town where
the castle is situated, unless he immediately pays him money,
or has regard for the same at the will of the seller ; but if he
belongs to that town, he shall pay the price within forty
days. No constable shall compel any knight to pay him for
taking care of his castle, if he wishes to do it personally, or by
some other approved person, if he cannot do it by reasonable
cause ; and if we shall send him to the army, he shall be
quit of his wardship as long as he is detained by us in the
army, as regards the fee for which he served in our army.
No bailiff, sheriff, or other agent of ours, shall take horses or
carts belonging to any one for carriage of goods, unless he
pays the livery determined on of old ; that is to say, for a
cart with two horses ten pence a day, and for one with three
horses fourteen pence a day. No cart belonging to any
ecclesiastical person, or knight, or any lady, shall be taken
by the aforesaid bailiffs ; nor will we, or our bailiffs, or any
others take wood belonging to another to make our castles or
to do our work, unless by consent of the party to whom the
wood belongs. We will retain the lands of those convicted
of felony only for one year and one day, and then they shall
be given up to the lords of the fees. All the weirs shall be
hereafter done away with entirely in the Thames and the
Medway, and throughout all Europe except at the sea-coast.
The brief called 'praecipe," shall hereafter not issue to any
one for any tenure whereby a free man may lose his court.

* Paris gives in addition : — " If any free man dies intestate, his goods
shall be distributed, according to the decision of the church, by his relatives,
parents, or friends, saving to each of them the debts which the deceased
owed him."

A.D.

1215.] MAGNA CHART A. 315

There shall be one measure for wine and beer throughout the
whole of our kingdom, and one measure for corn, namely,
the London quarter ; and one width for dyed cloths, russets,
and hauberjets, namely, two ells inside the binding; and
with weights it shall be as with measures. Nothing shall
hereafter be given for a writ of inquisition by any one requir-
ing an inquisition as to life or limb, but it shall be granted
free without denial. If any one holds from us by fee farm,
or soccage, or burgage, and holds land from another person by
knight service, we will not have the wardship of his heir or
his land, which is of another's fee, on the pretext of that fee-
farm, soccage, or burgage. Nor will we hold the wardship
of that fee-farm, soccage, or burgage, unless the fee farm itself
owes knight service. We ought not to have the wardship of
the heir or land which he holds from another by knight's
service, on the pretext of any petty sergeantry, which he
holds from us by the service of offering a knife, arrow, or
any other thing of the kind. No bailiff shall henceforth put
any one to the law or to his oath, on his simple assertion,
unless credible witnesses be brought to that effect. No free
person shall be taken or imprisoned, or shall be dispossessed
of any free tenement of his, or his liberties or free customs,
nor shall he be outlawed, or be punished in any other way,
nor will we come upon him, nor send him to prison, unless
by legal decision of his equals, or by the law of the land.
We will not sell the right and justice to any one, nor will we
refuse it or put it off. All traders, unless openly forbidden,
shall have free egress from and ingress to England, both to
stay and to go, both by land and water, to buy or sell without
any extortion, according to old and just customs; unless in
time of war, and they belong to the country at war with us ;
and if such be found in our territory at the beginning of the
war, they shall be seized without damage to their persons or
property, until we, or our chief justiciary, learn how the
merchants of our country are treated in the country at war
with us and, if our merchants are safe with them, theirs shall
be safe with us.* If any one holds from any escheat, as

* Paris adds : — " It shall be henceforth lawful for every one to leave, and
return to, our kingdom safely and securely by land and water, saving our
faith, unless in time of war, for a short time for the advantage of the king-
dom ; except in the case of prisoners and outlaws, according to the law cf

316 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1215,

from the honour of Vfallingford, Boulogne, Lancaster, Not-
tingham, or from other escheats which are in our hands, and
are baronies, and dies, his heir shall not give any other
relief, nor do any other service for us than he would do for a
baron, if that barony was in the hands of a baron ; and we
will hold it in the same way as the baron held it ; nor will
we on the pretext of such barony or escheat, hold any
escheat* or wardship of any of our subjects unless he who
held the barony or escheat, held elsewhere from us in chief.
No freeman henceforth shall give or sell so much of his land
to any one, that he is disabled from discharging, out of the
residue, the service which is due to his lord for that fee. All
the patrons of abbacies, who have from the king of England
charters of advowson, or who hold through ancient tenure or
possession, shall have charge of those abbacies, when they
become vacant, as they ought to have, and as has been above
declared. No man shall be taken or imprisoned, on the
appeal of a woman, for the death of any one except that
woman's own husband. No county shall henceforth be held
unless from month to month ; and where the term has been
used to be longer, it shall be longer; and no sheriff or
bailiff of it shall make his term in the hundred more than
twice a year, and then only at the proper and accustomed
times, that is to say, once after Easter and again after
Michaelmas. And in like manner, the view of frank pledge
shall take place at the said term of Michaelmas without fail,
so that each person may have his own liberties, such as he
had, and has been accustomed to have, at and since the time
of king Henry our grandfather, or which he has gained
since ; and the view of frank pledge shall be held, so that
our peace may be kept, and that the tithing may be unharmed
as it used to be ; and that the sheriff shall not seek pretexts,
and that he shall be content with receiving what the sheriff
has been accustomed to receive for making his view in the
lime of our grandfather king Henry. No one shall hence-

the kingdom, and the people warring against us, and their merchants con-
cerning whom the rules above-mentioned shall be observed."

* Paris adds : — " People who dwell out of the forest, shall not hence-
forth appear before our justiciaries of the forest unless they be impleaded,
or are pledges of any person or persons who are attached on account of the
forest. And all the woods, which were afforested by our brother king
Richard, shall be immediately deforested, except those of our domain."

A.D. 1215.] MAGNA CIIARTA. 317

forth be allowed to give his land to a religious house, so as
to resume possession of it to be held of that sanr house, nor
shall any religious house be allowed so to receive land as to
give it back in tenure to him from whom they received
possession of it ; but if any one henceforth thus gives his
land to a religious house and is convicted of so doing, his gift
shall be altogether annulled, and the land shall fall int the
possession of the lord of that fee. Scutage shall henceforth
be taken as it used to be taken in the time of our grandfather
kjng„.Henry. And all these aforesaid customs and liberties,
which we, as far as pertains to us, have granted to be held
in our kingdom, towards all our subjects in our kingdom,
shall be observed both by our clergy and laity, as much as
pertains to them, towards their dependants, saving to the
archbishops, bishops, abbats, priors, templars, hospitallers,
earls, barons, knights and all others, ecclesiastics as well as
seculars, the liberties and free customs which they formerly
had. Witness these, &c." The liberties and free customs of
the forest, which could not be contained in the same sheet as
the above-written liberties because it was not large enough,
are contained in this underwritten charter as follows : —

The liberties of the forest,

" John, by the grace of God, king of England, fyc. Be it
known that we, looking to God, and for the safety of our
soul, as well as those of our ancestors and successors, have
for the exaltation of the holy church, and for the improvement
of our kingdom, of our own free will, on behalf of ourselves
and our heirs, granted these under-mentioned liberties to be
had and held for ever in our kingdom of England. In the
first place all the forests, which, king Henry our grandfather
made, shall be inspected by approved and legal men ; and if
any one has made forest of any other wood than that belong-
ing to his own domain to the injury of the owner of the same,
it shall be immediately disforested; and, if he has forested
his own wood, it shall remain a forest, saving the common of
herbage, and other things in the same forest, to those who
used to hold it. All men living without the bounds of a
forest shall hereafter not come before our justiciaries of the
forest by ordinary summons, unless they be impleaded or be
securities for some person or persons who are attached on

318 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1215.

account of the forest. All woods, which were forested by
our brother king Richard, shall be immediately disforested,
unless they are woods of our demesne. Archbishops, bishops,
abbats, priors, earls, barons, knights, and free tenants, who
have wood in the forest, shall hold possession of their wood
as they did at the time of the coronation of our aforesaid
grandfather king Henry, so that they shall be for ever free
ironT-all annoyances, waste, and clearages made in those
woods from that time till the commencement of the second
year of our coronation ; and whoever henceforth commit
waste, nuisance, or make clearance, in those woods without
our permission, shall be answerable for such waste, annoy-
ance, or clearance. Our inspectors shall go through the
forests to take account, as was the custom at the time of the
coronation of our said grandfather king Henry, and no other-
wise. Inquisitions or views concerning the footing of dogs
in a forest shall be taken henceforth when survey ought to
be taken, that is to say, every third year ; and then it shall
be taken according to the view and testimony of legal men,
and no otherwise ; and if any person's dog is then found not
footed, he shall pay three shillings for alms. Henceforth no
oxen shall be taken for footing ; but such footing shall com-
monly be by assize, that three claws shall be taken from his
hind foot without the ball. Dogs henceforth shall not be
footed, unless at the place where they used to be footed at
the time of the coronation of our said grandfather king
Henry. No forester or bedel shall henceforth make a
tallage, or shall collect sheaves of oats or other kinds of corn,
or sheep or pigs, or make any collection, and when the
inspection is made, so many foresters shall be appointed to
guard the forests as, in the view and on the oath of twelve
inspectors, shall seem sufficient in reason for the purpose.
]No swainmote shall be hereafter held in our kingdom except
three times a year, namely, fifteen days before Michaelmas,
when our officers go round to levy tax for maintaining the
fences of our woods ; and at Martinmas, when the same
officers collect our pannage;* and at those two swainmotes
the foresters, verdurers, and collectors, f shall assemble, and
no one else, by writ of distringas. And the third swainmote

* Money paid for hedge-waste which cattle fed on.
f Of taxes for repairing the bounds of a piece of ground.

A.D.

1215.] MAGNA CIIARTA. 319

shall be held fifteen days before St. John the Baptist's day,
for the foddering of our cattle, and at that swainmote the
foresters, verdurers, and collectors shall assemble, and no
others, by writ of distringas. And moreover every forty days
throughout the year the verdurers and foresters shall assemble
to inspect the attachments of the forest, as well with regard to
the turf as the venison on the presentation of those foresters,
and they shall be attached in their presence. But these said
swainmotes shall only be held in the counties where they
used to be held. Every free man shall collect the tax to
repair the bounds of his own wood in the forest at will, and
shall receive his own pannage. We also grant permission to
every free man to bring his pigs through the wood of our
domain, free and without hindrance, and to enclose them in
his own woods or elsewhere at his pleasure, and if any free-
man's pigs wander in our forest for one night, it shall not be
made a pretext for him to be deprived of any of his property.
No one shall be deprived of life or limb for hunting in our
forest ; but if any one shall be taken and convicted of steal-
ing venison, he shall pay a heavy ransom, if he has the means
to do so, and if he has not the means he shall be imprisoned
for a year and a day. And if, at the expiration of a year
and a day, he can find sureties he shall be released from
prison; but if not, he shall abjure our kingdom of England.
If any archbishop, bishop, earl, or baron, in coming to us by
our orders, passes through our forest, he may take one or two
beasts in sight of the forester, if the latter be present, and if
not, let him sound a horn that he may not appear to be taking
them by stealth ; he may also act in the same way on his
return. Every free man may henceforth, without hindrance,
in his own wood or on the land which he holds in the forest,
build a mill, make a warren, lake, marl-pit, or ditch, or may
lay out arable ground beyond what is enclosed in arable land,
so that it may not be to the injury of any neighbour of his.
Every free man may in his own woods have aviaries of
sparrow-hawks, falcons, eagles, and herons, and in the same
way may have the honey found in his own wroods. No
forester, who is not a forester paying fee-farm to us for his
bailiwick, shall henceforth take any road-tax in his bailiwick ;
but a forester who pays fee-farm to us for his bailiwick shall
take road-tax; namely, for every cart two-pence during a

320 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [a.D. 1215.

half-year, and two-pence for the other half-year ; and for a
baggage horse one farthing for half a year, and a farthing for <
the other half-year ; and only from those who come from out
of his bailiwick to trade by his leave in his bailiwick, to buy
wood, timber, bark, or coal, and to take them elsewhere
to sell, wherever they please; and from no other cart or
beast of burden shall any road-tax be taken, and the said
road-tax shall only be taken in the places where it used to
be taken formerly. But those who carry on their shoulders
their wood, bark, or coal for sale, shall not, although they
live by this means, pay any road-tax. No road-tax for the
woods of other people shall be paid to our foresters, but only
from the woods of our domain. All who have been outlawed
concerning forest matters, from the time of our grandfather
king Henry till our coronation, may return peaceably without
hindrance, and shall find good securities that they will not
again make forfeiture to us with respect to our forest. No
ehastellain or other person shall hold pleas of the forest,
either with regard to the turf or the venison, but any fee-
forester may attach pleas of the forest, as well concerning the
turf as the venison, and shall present them to the verdurers
of the counties ; and, when they are enrolled and under the
seals of the verdurers, they shall be presented to the chief
forester, when he comes to that part of the country to hold
pleas of the forest, and shall be determined in his presence.
And it is our will that all the aforesaid customs and liberties
which we have granted to be had and observed in the king-
dom towards our men, on our part, shall be observed by all the
people of the kingdom, clergy as well as laity, on their part
towards their men."

Of the tweniy-five barons, who were appointed by the king to revise the

aforesaid laws.

" Since we, out of love to God, and for the amendment of
our kingdom, and the better to set at rest the disagree-
ment which has arisen between us and our barons, have
granted all these things, wishing to preserve them entire and
on a firm footing, we give and grant the underwritten secu-
rity to them, namely : — That the barons shall choose twenty-
five barons of the kingdom, whomsoever they please, who shall
with all their power observe, keep, and cause to be observed,

A.D. 1215.] MAGNA CHAKTA. 321

peace and the liberties which we have granted, and by this
our present charter have confirmed to them, so that, if we
personally or by our justiciary, or bailiff, wrong any one in
any way, or break through any one of the articles of this
peace or security, and the injury shall be proved to four out
of the twenty-five barons, those four barons shall come to us,
or, if we are out of the kingdom, to our justiciary, and, ex-
plaining what is wrong to us, shall require us to give satis-
faction without delay. And if we, or, if we are out of the
kingdom, our justiciary, do not give satisfaction within forty
days, reckoning from the time when it was pointed out to us,
the said four barons shall refer the matter to the rest of the
twenty-five ; and those barons with the whole community of
the country shall annoy and harass us, by all the means in
their power, such as taking our castles, lands, and posses-
sions, and any other means, till we give them satisfaction
according to their decision, saving always our person, and the
persons of our queen, and our children ; and when we have
given satisfaction, they shall obey us as they did before.
And let every one in the kingdom who chooses to do so,
swear that, to obtain all the aforesaid terms, he will obey the
commands of the aforesaid twenty-five barons, and will
harass us in conjunction with them, to the utmost of his
power ; and we give open and free permission to swear this
to any one who chooses to do so, and we will never forbid
any one to swear this. But all those in our kingdom who
choose to swear to unite with the barons in annoying and
harassing us, we will cause to swear to obey our commands
as above-mentioned. But in all cases which are entrusted
to the management of those twenty-five barons, if by chance
they disagree amongst themselves on any point, or any of
them when summoned refuse or are unable to be present,
whatever the majority of them shall determine and order
shall be ratified and confirmed, as though the twenty-five had
all agreed to it. And the twenty-five barons shall swear
that they will faithfully observe the aforesaid terms, and to
the best of their ability cause them to be observed ; and we
will do nothing personally or by another, by which any of
the said grants and liberties shall be revoked or deteriorated ;
and if any such grant shall have been made, it shall be null
and. void, and we will never make use of it ourselves or by

VOL. II. Y

322 ROGER OF WENDOVER. [A-D- 1215.

any other person. And all the bad disposition, indignation,
and rancour which has arisen between us and our subjects,
clergy as well laity, from the commencement of our dis-
agreement, we entirely dismiss and pardon in respect of all.
And the better to harass us, the four castellans of North-
ampton, Kenilworth, Nottingham, and Scarborough, shall
swear to the twenty-five barons that they will do with the j
said castles whatever they or the majority of them may
enjoin and command them to do ; and there shall always be
appointed to those castles, castellans who are faithful and
will not break their oath. And we will send away from
our kingdom all foreigners, all the relatives of Gerard
d'Athie, namely, Engelard, Andrew, Peter, and Guy de
Chanceles, Guy de Ciguigny, the wife of the aforesaid
Gerard with all their children, Geoffrey de Martenn and his
brothers, Philip Mark and his brothers, and G. his nephew,
Fdico, and all the Flemings and robbers who do injury in our
kingdom. Moreover all offences which have been committed
on account ofHhis disagreement .from the last Easter, which
was in the sixteenth year of our reign, till this renewal of
peace, are by us freely forgiven to all, clergy and laity, and
as far as concerns us are fully pardoned. And moreover we
have caused testimonials and letters patent to be granted
them from our lords, Stephen archbishop of Canterbury,
Henry bishop of Durham, and Pandulph subdeacon and
familiar of our lord the pope, and also from the aforesaid
bishops, as a security for this and for the aforesaid grants.
Wherefore we will and strictly order, that the English
church be free, and that all subjects of our kingdom shall
have and hold all the aforesaid liberties, laws, and cus-
toms, well and peaceably, freely and quietly, fully and
entirely, to themselves and their heirs from us and our
heirs, in all matters and places for ever, as aforesaid. An
oath also has been made in presence of the above-named
witnesses, as well on behalf of us as of the barons, that we
will observe all the aforesaid articles in good faith, and
without fraudulent reservation. Given under our hand in
the field called Runnymede, between Staines and Wind-
sor, on the fifteenth day of June, in the seventeenth year of
our reign.*
* M. Paris here inserts :— - " In the same year too, John, in order the

A.D. 1215.] ENFORCEMENT OF THE CHARTER.. 323

How the king of England by letters patent ordered the aforesaid liberties

to be observed.

After this king John sent his letters patent throughout all
the English territories, strictly ordering all the sheriffs of the
whole kingdom to make the inhabitants in their jurisdictions
of every rank, swear to observe the above- written laws and
liberties, and also, as far as lay in their power, to annoy and
harass him, the king, by taking his castles till he fulfilled all
the above-mentioned terms, as contained in the charter.
After which, many nobles of the kingdom came to the king
asking him for their rights of land and possessions, and the
custody of the castles, which, as they said, belonged to them
by hereditary right ; but the king delayed this matter till it
was proved on the oath of liege men, what of right was due
to each ; and, the more fully to effect this, he fixed the 16th
of August as a day for them all to come to Westminster.
Nevertheless he restored to Stephen archbishop of Canter-
bury the castle of Rochester and the Tower of London,

more to gain the good-will of the prelates and nobles, granted free elections
in all the churches of England ; and the king himself, as well as the nobles
and prelates, procured a confirmation of this charter and grant from the
pope, and, for better security, the king's charter was inserted, sealed in the
pope's warrant of confirmation. The twenty-five barons chosen were as
follow :— The earls of Clare, Albemarle, Gloucester, Winchester, and Here